The Empress
by AreiaCananaid
Summary: Just because the warlord was defeated does not mean the adventure is over… A new enemy has her sights set on Hyrule, and will stop at nothing until it's her own. Zelda is forced to make a horrible choice that leaves the one person who might be able to help her in no position to be saving anyone. Zelda is in danger, the kingdom is in danger, and her hero is on the run.
1. The Empress

******A/N-** This is my second story, but the first one for Legend of Zelda, so don't be to hard on it, please. If you see anything wrong or have questions just PM or review me, I will answer as best I can. I will post once (or twice if I am feeling nice) a week because I have school and you know how that sucks away your time.

**A/N2:** **Me and my sister wrote a prologe to this story, we hope you like it!** (Edited: March 4, 2013)

_**A/N3: My sister and me have edited and wrote a addition to the prologue. I shows more about Zelda and Link's friendship. We hope you like it! Sorry it took so long.** _(Edited: March 12, 2013)

**Summery-** Just because the warlord was defeated does not mean the adventure is over…

A new enemy has her sights set on Hyrule, and will stop at nothing until it's her own. Zelda is forced to make a horrible choice that leaves the one person who might be able to help her in no position to be saving anyone. Zelda is in danger, the kingdom is in danger, and her hero is on the run.

**Disclaimer- **If did own Zelda would I be writing fanfictions in my spare time? No. So I do not own Zelda (though I wish I did...).

* * *

**Prologue **

The warlord Ganondorf had been defeated; his dreams of conquest and power once again in shambles. He had been a powerful warrior and a mighty magic wielder but his plan for mastery had been flawed, the Empress decided as she looked over the land known as Hyrule form her position on the high mountains.

He had not expected that anyone would step out of their fear and stand against him. He had not expected that anyone would have the skill or nerve to actually stand and fight him, let alone succeed in a battle. She would never make such mistakes, she was wiser, she decided. She looked at the army that stood behind her awaiting her commands. Ganondorf's rise and fall from power had served to weaken the kingdom of Hyrule, which left is vulnerable, a weakness she was more than willing to exploit. A full on obvious attack like the one Ganondorf had planned had already proven to be a faulty tactic. She had other plans in mind, stealthy plans. She had conquered much over the course of her lifetime and had once been the supreme ruler of a mighty kingdom but had been defeated by the people who opposed her. Now she was nothing more than a queen in exile, a queen without a kingdom, but not for long. Soon this land and everything in it would belong to her. All she needed was patience. She knew an opening would soon present itself. Soon she would have a kingdom and her army would swell. Then she would have the power to reclaim her old kingdom, regain everything she had lost and become more powerful than ever. She called to her commander.

"Prepare the troops for battle and prepare my generals for a war conference. It is time we made our move."

"Yes, Empress," he replied promptly, bowing low before he left to do her bidding.

For the first time in many months a smile speared across her face as she turned once again to the land known as the kingdom of Hyrule. Her dark eyes settled upon the soaring towers of Hyrule castle. Soon, very soon, it would be hers.

**~x~X~x~**

Princess Zelda ignored the hand of the guard offered to help her mount her dapple grey steed. She knew it was proper manners to accept his help but she preferred to do things herself.

Her guard had expected as much, for she had hardly accepted his help, but out of courtesy and proper manners he offered just the same. He smiled at her, touching his hand to his helmet in a half salute and she nodded her thanks, a smile touching her own lips.

She sat side saddle as was customary and fitting to her attire. Truth be told, she did not much care for sitting that way, it was so much harder than sitting astride, but if she were to be seen sitting astride in her long royal gown it could cause no less than scandal. Not from her own men or the people of CastleTown, but by the visiting lords and ladies. The soldiers mounted their own steeds behind her and she led them towards the center of the courtyard of Hyrule Castle, where the other members of the hunting party awaited her arrival. She looked up at the clear blue sky of early morning and sighed contentedly.

She had spent the last several months, from autumn to this fine morning of early spring, trying to rebuild and re-strengthen her weakened kingdom from the warlord Ganondorf's attack of twilight last year, during the summer and through the first part of early fall. They had been months of pure nightmare and the rebuilding process after the aftermath had not been much better. She had inherited the kingdom after her parents' death, left to rule in their stead. According to Hyrule customs, she would not be able to declare herself queen until she came of age on her twentieth birthday. She had no desire to rush things though.

Deep down she still had a small doubt that she was not yet ready, which had only been compounded when Ganon had attacked and she had been forced to surrender. She had just turned seventeen at the time and had lacked experience in areas such as defense and military command, for Hyrule had been at peace for many years. Although she had been naïve, she had fought back from her position as prisoner and had tried to lead and help her people with all the wisdom of her forefathers and mothers. This day was the first time in months that she had the opportunity to take a break from all the problems of resurgences that surrounded her life completely. It was time for one of the few annual hunts that the lords and ladies of Hyrule participated in and, as ruler of the kingdom, she was duty bound to lead the party and host the feast afterwards.

When she was younger she had found the formalities to be rather boring, but at the moment she gladly welcomed the diversion. She loved riding horseback and she was quite adept with her bow. She had insisted her father teach her how to be a markswoman when she was a child and had never regretted her rather impulsive decision. She also, unlike most of her female counterparts, possessed some skill with a blade, also taught to her by her father, this time at his insistence. The memory of her kindly father who had been one of Hyrule's best kings tugged rather painfully at her heart and she forced her mind on other subjects.

This, thankfully, was not as hard as it usually was because she arrived where all the nobles and few knights who were invited were gathered, standing beside their horses. They all bowed as she appeared and she nodded her acknowledgement. Then they all started to mount up. A few of her father's old friends came up to give their customary greetings but her attention was not wholly on them but rather on a slender but strong green clad warrior that stood near a beautifully proportioned and colored Belgian-like horse. The handsome youth smiled at her as he gently stoked his horse's mussel before mounting.

A memory flashed unbidden though her mind of the day seven months ago when the three of them had fought the warlord on the darkened plains outside the castle. She had been sitting directly behind him clutching his waist as he tried to maneuver his horse around, and defend against Ganondorf's magical army of murderous wraith riders. She had then let go of him and clutched the horse's flanks with her knees as she notched a light arrow and brought up her bow trying to get a sight on the warlord. She needed to slow him down, so her counterpart could make use of his sword. It was not long after that, when they had finally unhorsed the warlord, that she and the young warrior's steed had been separated from him and the warlord by a magic barrier. He had been left to fight the warlord in one on one combat with the fate of the entire kingdom resting on his shoulders. She could do nothing but watch the fight near the smoking stones of her battle devastated castle. Her mind was brought back to the present by a slight cough from behind her.

With a start, she realized that the hunting party had been ready to move out and her wayward thoughts had made her oblivious to the fact. Not only that, she thought embarrassed, she had also been staring directly at Link, the young green clad woodsman, in a highly undignified manner. It had been only for a few seconds but a princess was not supposed to behave in such an unseemly manner in front of guests. The latter were probably thinking the worst about it too, judging by the looks a few of them gave her. She felt the heat of a blush burning on her features, which served only to confirm the suspicions of the ones who had seen her. When she realized this she felt the blush deepen further. Shooting Link an apologetic glance, she began urge her horse forward to start the day's festivities. Link returned her stare with a curious expression on his face and rather quirky smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

Feeling hot and uncomfortable she gave the signal to start and the hunting party moved out. They went through the castle's inner gates, then through the town that surrounded the castle, and finally through the outer wall gate of the castle.

The happy atmosphere of the hunting party soon spread through everyone and Zelda's previous discomfort vanished. They were headed northeast to the to the rocky moorland planes by the limestone ravines that ran behind and to the side of the castle.

Zelda patted her steed's neck and watched as the company, now that it was out in the open, rearranged itself so that several groups of friends emerged from the previous double line. She found herself falling back until she was side by side with Link and a dark brown haired man of about thirty, with a neatly trimmed beard, named Lord Dunlin. The overdressed lord tried to catch her eye. She nodded politely at him before her attention swung past him and fell on Link.

She eyed the young rider at her side, giving the same courteous greeting but this time it had a little more warmth. They shared the understanding that came from being exposed to the same circumstance and fighting the same battle for freedom. He returned her smile with one of his own his dark blue eyes almost alight with a merry glint. He casually tossed his dark blond hair out of his eyes as the early morning breeze played with it.

Zelda noticed that, despite his casual outward appearance and smile, he was looking uneasy. She guessed it was because he was the only one of the company who was not of noble blood to receive an invitation to the hunt. She knew he felt like he did not belong with the lords and ladies because he had been born a peasant. His social standing however, did not mean much to her. She easily acknowledged the fact that without him and his selfless acts of courage, the kingdom might still be under the rule of a tyrant.

They had meet in the strain and turmoil of Ganondorf's take over and had been forced to work together to save the kingdom. Perhaps it was the circumstance or possibly there was just something about him that had made her like him at first sight.

They had come to know each other informally during the kingdoms turmoil and after she was restored to her throne she still considered him a friend. As a ruler of a kingdom she had to be extremely careful about making friendships. However in Link's case, she had trusted him instantly and nothing had changed. After the kingdom had been saved, he had first backed into the nervous formal relationship of a peasant to their ruler, but as soon as he saw that she was not going to change her attitude towards him just because of their very different stations, their friendship had resumed. He treated her with the courtesy of her rank but would not hesitate to open up or joke with her. He was one of the only people who cared to listen to her as a friend. She had only known him for a few months and, because her duties did not allow for much free time, they did not know much about each other, but she felt pleased with their blossoming friendship. He also knew the burden she carried because he, like she, bore a piece of the triforce.

At the moment he was probably feeling slightly awkward because aside from the soldiers, he was the odd one out. He was funny that way she decided, he had not wanted to be publically honored for his deeds with fame or ceremony, but he did not want to be thrust completely aside either.

He was known around the castle and known by the people he had saved directly, but since he was not attention seeking and did not crave hero worship, most of the people knew him by name only and he seemed to like it that way. She was about to break the silence and speak when Lord Dunlin brought his mount closer and cleared his throat.

A peasant was traveling slowly down the path, herding along three pigs, and heading to Castle Town's market. Dunlin brought her attention to it with a sweep of his hand.

"I had no idea that this hunt was going to take place this close to the filth of swine." He said, his face wrinkled in an expression of disgust.

Although his hand gestured towards the farmer, his eyes were riveted on Link and Zelda knew by the inflection of his tone that the comment was intended for him and not the swineherd.

She turned a worried eye on her green clad friend to see that he had caught the insinuation. He narrowed his eyes almost imperceptibly for a fleeting moment and then a coy smile spread across his face. Much to her surprise, he maintained his silence.

She was relieved that it went no further than that, but judging by the look on Dunlins face when Link did not respond, the peace was not going to last.

Dunlin was not only a lord but also a knight. During the rebuilding process he had often come to lend a hand and had hardly ever had a decent word to say about Link, or the small resistance group that had backed him. Zelda supposed his superior attitude, insults, and recent attempt to bait him, was because Link, being a mere youth with no formal military training, served to make him feel derisory and foolish. He resented the fact that a farm boy had succeeded where he, a royal knight had failed. 'In a word he was jealous,' she thought and he was not the only one; there were a handful of others that felt that way. It was foolish to let arrogance get in the way of gratitude. Maybe Link had not had formal military training, but it was obvious he had had a master. He had told her that he was once the apprentice of Rusl, Ordon's sword master and Resistance fighter, but she had seen Rusl's fighting stile and knew enough about swordplay to know that he had not been Link's only master. He had not told her the name of his other master and she had never directly asked him.

"I cannot comprehend your motive for inviting a manner-less peasant along on the hunt and banquet."

Zelda glared at the arrogant lord Dunlin who had brought his horse even closer to her own. 'My motives are not for the sole purpose of your comprehension,' she thought slightly angry. 'There is much more to people than their class.'

Lord Dunlin had obviously not noticed her warning angry look for he continued.

"A peasant at the royal banquet," he scoffed. "I doubt he is even capable of discerning the difference between a soup spoon and a tea spoon," he finished scathingly.

She shot lord Dunlin a disparaging glance. She was fed up with his haughty attitude, insulting comments, and gall to bad talk a person who was well within ear shot. She was deciding whether or not to tell him that in calling a guest, whom she had invited personally, a manner-less peasant, he had quite stooped to the level of manner-less himself for the slight reflected on her as well. Or perhaps she might remind him that if it were not for Link he would either be dead or enslaved, in which case, spoons would hardly be of any use to him. A princess was supposed to be poised and dignified at all times but she would not just stand there and let the ungrateful lord insult her friend in front of her. She was intending to say something reprimanding but also courteous when Link, probably noting her dark expression, jumped in.

"It's alright," he said. "Lord Dunlin is right in his assumption. I probably would not be able to tell the difference between a soup spoon and a tea spoon. In fact, had I not left OrdonProvince, I probably would not know what a spoon is at all." He paused for a moment his face a picture of seriousness. He was obviously aware that by now he had captured their attention completely. "You see," he continued, "in Ordon we do things differently. We don't even use silverware at all; we just eat with our faces. Why don't I sit next to you at the banquet and show you how?"

Zelda tried to stifle a chuckle.

Lord Dunlin looked completely horrified for a moment then he snorted. His facial expression darkened as he dug his heels into his steed's sides and rode ahead.

"Have I said something wrong?" Link asked innocently, looking perplexed.

Zelda was taken slightly aback wondering if he had in fact been serious about Ordon's lack of silverware, a small worm of doubt only grew in her mind.

"I am sorry my comment cost you Lord Dunlin's company," He finished a slight glimmer in his eyes.

"That's alright," she assured him. "I was starting to find his company rather irksome," she said distracted, trying to remember if she had ever read anything about the dining customs of Ordon in her culture or commerce books. She bit her lip as curiosity and uncertainty got the better of her, then she blurted, "Were you speaking the truth? Are there really no spoons in Ordon?"

She looked directly at him. The glimmer in his eyes seemed to grow and a smirk spread across his face in answer to her question. She blushed, realizing, a bit too late, that he had been teasing.

'I need to stop taking everything so seriously,' she decided as she shook her head and chuckled. That was a major problem with her, she had always been rather serious but her position as ruler of Hyrule only served to make it worse. It was her job to take things seriously, but she had to admit she liked Link's light teasing manner.

The party had reached the designated hunting grounds and they split up into small groups since they were not large game hunting. It was sort of an unofficial contest to see which group would come back with the best prize. She had always loved hunting with her father when she was younger. She liked the thrill of the chase but she did not like killing for pleasure alone. Killing out of necessity or food was acceptable, but not pleasure. She made sure, like her father had done before her, to use as much of the result of the hunts for food and the surplus she would give to the poor, it was an unofficial custom.

When Lord Dunlin saw that she had no intention of leaving the barbarian peasant's side he slowed his horse's pace to fall in step with her once more. The three of them, along with two soldiers, set off on their own. Zelda led the way along a cliff-like rise of whitish-grey limestone that cut through the lightly forested moor-like lands around them.

This cliff, which branched off into many, surrounded the north side of the castle. She knew where some of the best grouse hunting spots were so she guided her steed that way with her knees whilst she readied her bow with her free hands. She was determined not to let Lord Dunlin spoil the pleasant mood of her first day off in months. Her life was almost completely comprised of duty because of her position and she did not want the small time she got to herself to be marred by someone's bad attitude and power play.

It was not long before a light flutter in the grass alerted her to prey. Bringing her horse to a halt she signaled for the others to follow suit. Focusing on the spot in the long grass, she brought her bow into firing position. With an easy motion she sighted along the shaft of her arrow and waited for her prey to break cover.

Dunlin, however, intending to show off his superiority and skill in front of Link, moved his horse forward and shot prematurely. His hurried shot missed the prey by inches and the terrified grouse burst from the grass it had been sheltering in to fly towards the cliff. It was easily one of the biggest, most finely feathered grouses she had ever seen. She had the skill to shoot targets from the air but the bird flew into a deep crack in the limestone cliffs to their left. The crack was an entrance to one of the many shallow caves of the limestone ravines and the bird flew straight inside before she had a chance to fire.

"What a gorgeous prize," Lord Dunlin whispered under his breath and started after it. "It will have cornered itself in there. We can make short work of it."

Although she was annoyed that his actions had caused her to miss the shot in the first place, she found herself slinking behind him just as eagerly towards the cave.

"Stay at the entrance in case it comes out again," she said urgently to Link.

As she spoke she saw him fidget, looking almost like a wolf scenting for danger, eyeing the cave distrustfully. She noticed the movement but shoved it to the corner of her mind as she was too preoccupied by the excitement of the hunt. She quietly eased herself inside knowing it was never wise to dash headlong into dark places.

The cave was dark compared to the dazzling sunlight of outside and it took her eyes a while to adjust to the gloom. The air inside was still and musty and it carried with it a faint smell, almost like that of a stable. By the faint shadow ahead of her, she noticed that Lord Dunlin had also stopped as he listened for his prey. Zelda did likewise, getting a ready grip on her bow, her arrow already strung. She focused on listening for any sound of movement. Her muscles were tensed and ready for action.

She jumped and nearly cried out as she felt a presence beside her and a gauntleted hand lightly grabbed her arm. She was about to strike out with her bow when she recognized the leather gauntlet and the figure behind it. She stared aghast at Link. She had been listening hard but had not even heard his progress over the caves sandy ground. He was very soft footed when he wanted to be, she noted. She gave him a curious smile and was about to ask what he was about when she caught sight of the urgency in his eyes. He motioned for silence then pointed towards the ground. She followed the direction of his finger and stared at the sandy patch of ground he had indicated. As her eyes adjusted fully she focused on an odd indentation.

She recognized it immediately as a foot print, an animal foot print. It looked like that of a giant reptile with heavy claws. She placed the species instantly from her natural science studies. It belonged to the creature commonly known as a lizalfos. They were similar to giant lizards that walked on their hind legs. They possessed a slight intelligence and were in league with the dark creatures of the world. Their overlapping scales created a natural armor and they sometimes supplemented it with stolen breastplates and plate-meil. They fought with whatever weapon they could get their hands upon, usually a sword of some sort. Many of them attached either a spiked mace or an axe head to their tales to enhance their attack, giving them the ability of lashing out when their opponent least expected.

All in all they were some nasty creatures and would not be pleasant to run into. Unfortunately for her and her companions, lizalfos where known to favor dank caves and other dark places. This was easy for them because they were not cold blooded like their smaller, less dangerous reptile relatives.

Link signaled towards her again and managed to communicate that he thought there were three of them. She nodded her understanding and was about to signal Lord Dunlin silently inform him they needed to back out of the cave quietly. Unfortunately, he had noticed Link's motion out of the corner of his eye before she had a chance warn him. Before she could stop him, he turned angrily on the young warrior.

"So," he said in a low scornful voice, low so as not to startle the grouse, "I see you are incapable of following even the simplest of orders."

Zelda, wincing as the sound of his lowered voice seemed to echo and reecho through the cave, motioned for him to be silent.

His eyebrows knit together in an angry frown at her gesture. "With all due respect your majesty, you should stop shielding him," he said furiously his voice rising. "If he were a soldier under my command he would be court-martialed for disobedience. Allowing one with such a disregard for discipline could be devastating in a combat situation."

Zelda and Link stood completely still, cringing as the last words of his rant bounced off the walls of the cave. She craned her ears, hoping that by some miracle his angry outburst had been missed by the creatures lurking there. She slowly started to back towards the cave entrance with Link not far behind her.

Lord Dunlin realized he had missed something and had the presence of mind to follow them, looking perplexed. Then a rustling near the back of the cave and the light clink of metal armor reached Zelda's ears. She breathed in a quiet gasp, her heart beat racing.

"No good," Link said. "They've heard us. Run!"

As if all of one mind, they tuned simultaneously and ran for the light of the entrance. She felt the hair on the back of her neck prickle as she heard the pounding footfalls behind her. When they reached open ground all three turned, bows at the ready. Zelda half noted that Dunlin had a terrified expression on his face, probably because he had no idea who they were facing.

The first of the scaly beasts dashed out of the cave towards them, murder in its eyes, weapon drawn, and mouth agape in a rasping battle cry that died instantly as the three hunters fired at its unprotected head simultaneously. It fell to the ground but its companion was close behind it, already leaping over its partner's lifeless body. It ran at them with terrifying speed. Zelda knew it would reach them before she had a chance to reload and aim. Her next arrow was only half notched. She and Lord Dunlin quickly backed away, terrified. The bow was their only weapon and they tried to put some distance between them and the monster while they desperately nocked and arrow.

Link had his sword with him, sheathed across his back in his usual manner. As they stepped back he stepped forward, drew his sword, and struck down the lizalfos in one swift movement.

The giant reptile had not been expecting this sudden attack and was caught completely off guard. It was dead before it hit the ground. A third came at the young swordsman with its rusty blade upraised. It struck forward with a massive force. Link parried the blade easily with a small circular movement, managing to deflect several others of the lizalfos's strikes in the same way.

Once Link had gauged his opponent's skill he struck forward with a swift driving motion. The creature leaped aside but could not avoid getting nicked. Furious it charged forward and its chipped blade met Link's in a sword grind. Their swords locked hilt to hilt. The young blond warrior began to push his attacker back, even though the creature was at least a head taller. He pushed the reptile back then unlocked their blades just as the lizard lashed out with his tale. Link leaped nimbly over the axe head and struck while he was still in midair. Once again the creature tried to dodge but he was too slow. The lizalfos staggered back.

This battle had only taken place over a few seconds and Dunlin was still having trouble stringing his bow. He cursed softly to himself as the arrow slipped out of the notch again.

Zelda had her bow strung and stood ready. The creature staggered back from Link's strike but somehow managed to right itself. Before it could once again go on the offensive, she spotted an opening and brought her bow into position. She aimed at its head and loosed a shaft. There was a 'thwack' as her arrow his home and this time the monster did not right itself. Link nodded his thanks as he thrust his sword point down into the ground and drew his bow. He seemed to fire at nothing back towards the cave entrance.

Lord Dunlin finally notched his arrow and brought it up, but as soon as he did so his mouth fell open with surprise. For a moment he said nothing as he looked between Link, Zelda, and the fallen reptiles. He had the manners to nod reluctant thanks towards the young swordsman who had probably just saved his hide. Then, feeling his pride had taken a bit of a blow, he looked around quickly for someone who had behaved with even less valor and dignity than he. His gaze fell upon the two hapless soldiers who had not even dismounted from their steeds or moved from their first position. He walked over and began to berate them for cowardice.

"These creatures were not exactly the game I had in mind," Zelda said softly as she tried to quiet her beating heart. She took several paces forwards to retrieve her arrows.

Link grinned at her, "Not a fan of lizard stew I take it?"

Zelda made a face, 'If they taste anything like they smell I would rather eat a cockroach,' she thought to herself. Aloud she said, "I should probably stop Lord Dunlin's reprimanding before he rips my solders to shreds." She sighed, "Too bad we must go back empty handed. It is a pity we lost the grouse, it was a beauty."

"I don't think it's as lost as you think," he told her with a grin as he walked towards a bush by the entrance to the cave. He reached inside its foliage. When he retracted his hand she saw he held the body of the grouse transfixed by his arrow.

She stared at him dumbfounded, remembering his apparent wild shot after the battle. She felt a foolish unladylike grin spread across her face and she shook her head at him. How he had had the presence of mind to shoot the grouse right after the last foe had fallen, she had no idea. Perhaps it was due to all the combat practice he had gone through to save the kingdom.

When they reached the horses Lord Dunlin saw the grouse and could not help but bluster, "How in Hyrule...?" he never finished, instead he left his half formed sentence hanging.

Link handed him the grouse with a wolfish smile.

"I spent more time practicing with my sword then I did with my spoons," he said quietly.

Lord Dunlin snatched the prize angrily away from the youth and shot him a dark glare.

Zelda had to resist the urge to roll her eyes as she mounted her steed. 'Men,' she thought.

**~x~X~x~ **

Zelda watched from her tower window as the guests of the hunt and the feast left the castle. Despite Link's teasing about his apparent lack of manners, he had actually carried himself with just as much dignity and decorum as her other guests, which only served to peeve lord Dunlin further. As she watched Link leave the castle she wondered what she was going to do about him. Now that the kingdom was somewhat stable, she realized that she had never done anything at all besides giving her thanks to honor him for his service. Having made up her mind, she sat down at her desk and began to compose a letter. It was late and she knew he would probably find a place to stay for the night in the city or camp on the plains. If she sent out a page boy with her letter in the morning he would probably be able to catch him before he left the province.

* * *

**The Empress**

Zelda was in trouble, there was no way she could have foreseen the situation that she found herself in. She stood alone in her chambers and dared not summon a guard due to the knife at her throat. Her captor was an imperious woman with eyes so black that one could not see the pupils. The black of her eyes were in stark contrast to her silver grey hair. Despite the color of her hair, she did not appear to be too much older than her mid twenties.

"I asked for your surrender, princess," the woman commanded for the second time. "Surrender or I will kill you," her voice rasped in Zelda's ear.

"I would rather die than surrender this kingdom to you!" Zelda cried.

"Oh, I see," the woman drew back her dagger smiling. "I made the wrong threat, surrender or I will make your kingdom suffer greater than they have ever before suffered. I will release my armies and unleash my power and destroy this kingdom in a manner that will be whispered about in fear for ages to come. However, if you surrender their lives will be spared as long as they obey me."

Zelda was hoping that the woman would not say this; she knew that these were not idle threats. At this very moment she knew that this woman's army was hiding in the passages under the castle. Although this army was not that massive in size, there was no way that she could mobilize her army in time to counter an attack. The woman herself was a powerful magic wielder, Zelda could tell this the moment that she stepped foot in her chambers. She knew that it would be easy for the intruder to carry out her threats, she needed time and surrendering could buy her some. Protecting her people was her first priority.

Slowly she nodded, "I will surrender," she whispered, "as long as you promise not to attack my people."

"Excellent," the woman smirked, "good choice. Although I see no problem with taking over kingdoms by force, I really prefer to do it in a more subtle manner. You see, it is so much more fun to make the kingdom destroy itself with civil wars. Then when all seems lost I come in and promise security and then the kingdom is as good as mine. All the poor dimwitted people never know that it was I who caused the rebellion in the first place. It makes them so much more loyal than they would have been if I had conquered the kingdom by force."

"Not everyone is as much of a fool as you think!" Zelda said defiantly, "there are many powerful warriors in this land that will bring about your downfall."

"You are referring to the Resistance, fighters that helped to bring about the demise of the warlord Ganondorf, aren't you. I am the empress of the northern lands I have conquered many kingdoms, handling your little Resistance will be easy in comparison. It is not just the Resistance though," the Empress mused, correctly reading Zelda's expression. "You refer especially to Link, the boy who defeated Ganon in one to one combat. He might be a bit of a challenge," she admitted reluctantly.

Zelda saw the moment of uncertainty and pounced on it, "he will come and he will stop you."

The woman looked concerned for a moment and then she smiled slowly, and evil gleam of pleasure lighting her eyes. "Oh I am positive your little hero would come to save you if you asked him to now, but, what if he could be made to hate you, despise you above all else. Would he come to save you then? If he is as mighty a warrior as you say we could have some fun with him." She sniggered wickedly; "this might prove to be even more amusing than the last kingdom I conquered."

Zelda felt rage boiling up within her, "You will never be able to catch him," she fumed angrily.

"Don't be foolish," the Empress chided, "catching him will be the easy part I don't even have to do anything. He will come directly to me because you already asked him to come to this very castle tomorrow."

Zelda gasped, she had not told anyone of this. She had only written it in a private letter. It was only then that she realized she had been staring straight into the icy gaze of the Empress. She was riveted to their dark stare and found she could not turn away. The Empress stared deeper and her smirk widened.

"Better yet, you are the only one who knows of this, aside from me now." She laughed viciously, "It will all be so easy for me to arrange, he will come unsuspecting so that he can help you and you will betray him, possibly to his death."

"I would never betray him," Zelda hissed angrily.

The Empress laughed, "Don't be stupid your highness, you will do anything I tell you to do, after all I have all the power now, and you know it. Although," she continued, "luckily for you, I will not actually require you to actually do anything at the moment."

Zelda tore her gaze away from the Empress with a shudder; the way she talked of terrible things so lightly as if she were making a joke made Zelda want to cringe every time she spoke.

The Empress snapped her fingers and two guards seemed to materialize out of the air.

"Empress," they said in unison as they bowed before her.

"My personal guards," she explained answering Zelda's unspoken question.

"Guard the princess," she commanded, "I will need her for my plans success, so guard her well and don't let her try anything. And also, I want you to create a worthy scenario to frame her precious hero for treason, why not kill a few guards, or use the ones we killed when we snuck in here." She smiled at Zelda's horrified expression, "It will make it more believable to everyone else."

She turned her back and started chanting in an odd language. Her body started to morph and she transformed into a perfectly identical copy of Zelda. Zelda stared on in dismay and disbelief. It was as if she were looking into a mirror.

"Now you see what I can do, just imagine the chaos I can cause and this is but a fraction of my power."

This outburst was spoken in Zelda's exact voice and speaking style. Then she turned and exited the chamber mimicking the exact way Zelda carried herself, down to her walking gait; leaving the real Zelda alone in the room except for the two guards and the problem of a magic wielding, shape shifting mind reader who was out to conquer Hyrule, not only for the power, but for amusements sake.

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Did you like it? Can't wait for more? Hanging in the suspense? Well to bad! *5 minutes of evil laughter*

**I have a question**- Who are you top 3-5 favorite Links?

Mine are TP Link, SS Link, the first Link (from the Magna Hyrule Historia) then OoT Link (from the 3DS)


	2. Betrayal

**A/N2: I realised that it didn't flow right so I fixed it, I hope you like it! **(Edited: March 4, 2013)

**A/N: **I am so sorry for the delay! School just took my time and my Beta-Reader (thank you so much!). I had to do a science far project and tons of homework! Thank you for the three people who reveiwed, favorited and followed.

**Jaden Lariya- **Thanks for everything!

**minijen- **Thanks!

**Din's Fire- **I feel so evil for making you wait in suspense! You will be happy with this chatper, there will be torture, pain, and injuries, and the rest of the book will have tight situations...wait I just gave you spoilers! Foget I even wrote that...

* * *

**Betrayal**

Link halted his leisurely pace halfway across the bridge over Lake Hylia and gazed out over his surroundings. The beautiful land of Hyrule was at peace and the darkness that had invaded the kingdom six months ago had been dispelled. The kingdom was working its way back to normal, slowly rebuilding itself back to its former glory.

Everything he had fought for a few months ago was saved, the dark warlord had been defeated, hope had returned to the land and yet he found himself more and more often to be discontented. He had achieved his hard won and bitterly fought for goals but they seemed not to bring him any satisfaction. The time of year only seemed to add to his restlessness. The few months in between the first snow melt and the spring planting was one of the most uneventful stretches of time.

He had never realized how monotonous his life had been until he had been caught up his quest. It was not that he would trade in all his hard earned peace for the turmoil of seven months ago but he found himself wanting more. He found himself longing for a chance to do something important and worthwhile, a chance to change things for the better. He reached his hand up to grasp the hilt of the sword that was sheathed across his back. The grip fit his hand perfectly. He carried the master sword, a legendary blade forged by the hero of sky countless years ago. It was said that it could only be wielded by the one who bore the mark of courage and only in times of peril. When he had finished his first quest he had put it back in its resting spot in the temple of time but as soon as he did so he had been plagued by nightmares. He came to princess Zelda about it and she had taken it as a sign that for some reason the sword's purpose had not yet been completed. Zelda bore the mark of wisdom and he trusted her with his life so he had reclaimed the blade. Perhaps he still needed it because of the few monster clans, remnants of Ganon's army, which were still abroad. He had no way of knowing for sure.

He sighed as he stared over the edge of the great stone bridge. He knew he should probably be heading back towards Ordon, the village where he grew up. It was just about planting season and, based on the moon signs, the villagers would start planting their crops in few days. He loved planting season, loved watching the smallest seed grow and flourish into a strong green plant as he tended the soil; plants that would soon become their lifeline through the winter. What he did not love so much about planting season was tilling and plowing. He was the only person in his entire village who owned a horse, that being said most of the plow work fell to him. He had caught and tamed his horse himself when he was a young boy and she was a colt.

His village's survival depended on two things, their crops and their livestock, namely the large ill tempered goats. Rounding up the village goats was also a task that fell to him on most occasions. He saw nothing wrong with the life of a farmer in fact he usually enjoyed it but sometimes it felt rather tedious.

He tossed a small pebble off the bridge and watched it fall to the lake bed in the canyon far below. He heard the hoof beats of a horse and turned to see a page riding towards him.

"Link?" the page boy asked as he rode up.

Link nodded in the affirmative and the page handed him a letter. He glanced at the boy as he took the carefully folded piece of parchment. The page had flaming red hair and appeared to be about fifteen, not too much younger than himself. He thanked the boy, who nodded once before riding off back the way he had come.

Link was rather thankful that the job of page was not his own. They certainly had no amazing adventures or intriguing tales to tell. 'In fact,' he thought, 'the most challenging part of that job was probably locating the people they were supposed to meet or deliver letters to.' The page boy had obviously had no trouble locating him. He had become rather well known since he had saved the kingdom. Most people, it seemed, longed for a chance to be noticed adored and famous but he did not. Sometimes he found himself wishing that people of Hyrule never found out that it was mostly he who had saved them. Although it was nice to be thanked, He did not much care for extra attention he had been getting. He always felt uncomfortable around large groups of people when their attention was on him. He shook his head at himself smiling ruefully, he carried the mark of courage and had boldly faced many terrible creatures and situations and yet he was shy. A hoard of enemies was less terrifying than a crowd of adoring villagers, sometimes he did not understand himself. Sighing, he opened the sealed parchment.

The letter had Zelda's seal and the note was written in her hand. It said simply that she needed to speak with him about some urgent matters as soon as possible. HyruleCastle was not at all far from his current position so he headed that way to see what the urgent problem was. He and Zelda had become pretty close friends after the Ganon scare so, when he arrived at the castle the guards let him though without comment, except to say greetings and to exchange information about monster locations.

The head of Zelda's guard, a tall broad soldier with bulging muscles led the way to the throne room. He was very fond of Link because Link had helped to save him and his family from a surprise monster raid earlier that year.

"I bet she sent for you because of the recent attack on our castle. Several of our soldiers were killed and there is no sign of the aggressor. The princess is greatly troubled by the whole affair," he explained while they walked. He then went off on a rabbit trail speaking of his younger days in the regiment and how an event like this would not have taken place if the strict discipline of the past was in use today.

Link respectfully listened to the guard ramble on but he was not really paying attention to a single word the soldier said. He was lost in his own thoughts wondering about the attack the soldier had mentioned. He hoped Zelda was all right, he liked her, a lot. The beautiful teal eyed princess always seemed so sure of herself and confident but despite that she had an easy going grace. She considered him a friend even though he was not high born. She seemed to respect people for their deeds and not their class. His thoughts were cut short as he entered the throne room where Zelda was sitting. Her brunet hair shone like the jewels of her crown as the afternoon sunlight glittered through the throne room's vaulted windows.

"Link," she smiled as he entered the room, "I had something that I needed to talk with you about."

He bowed, smiling back, happy to be in the company of one of his best friends.

"What is it your majesty?" he asked concerned, "I heard something was wrong."

"Yes," she said, "something is wrong; I need you to tell me truthfully. Are you the leader of the Resistance?"

"No," he replied puzzled at such an odd question. "I am not the leader of the Resistance. The Resistance does not really have a leader. We work together as a team, a sort of democracy."

"How quaint," She said with an air of mocking.

"Quaint?" he repeated, puzzled at her derisive tone. He seemed to sense certain hostility in her voice, hostility that was apparently directed straight at him. He was slightly taken aback, wondering what he had done to earn her ire.

"Quaint that you would lie to me when the truth is so obvious, I demand that you explain your actions!" She said her voice rising in anger.

"My actions?" he asked surprised, "what actions?"

"What actions!" She fumed, "you have some nerve to march in here and pretend that you have no idea of what you did and the pain you caused! I am referring to you insurrection with the Resistance. I trusted you and you betrayed me."

"You think that I am the one who attacked you," he asked incredulously. He looked at her angry face totally bewildered, wondering if this was some elaborate joke but Zelda was not the sort of person who would play a prank like this.

"Then explain my dead guards and soldiers that the Resistance killed in your name. We only barely stopped them, you traitor," she said, a tear forming in her eye as she spoke. She was utterly serious.

"I would never ask anyone to kill in my name," he protested, but his outcry seemingly fell upon deaf ears.

His friend's face was a mask of sorrow and anger, she directed her eyes on him her voice softening, "why Link? Why did you do it?" she asked her voice breaking with emotion. "One of my most trusted commanders even overheard you conspiring against the throne with your cohorts."

"Who would dare make such an accusation?" He demanded indignantly.

"He will remain anonymous for his own safety."

"With all due respect your majesty, your most trusted commander is a liar. You cannot actually believe the testimony of only one man. That is not enough evidence to condemn someone." He was completely stunned; he had always thought that she would believe him over any one of her servants or soldiers; if she were in his place he would have believed her first.

"I have more than just the testimony of one man, two other people saw you. I have other evidence as well, explain this," She challenged as she brought out a cloth that had the Resistance's emblem on it and a helmet that was made in the Ordonian fashion similar to the one that his mentor Rusl wore.

"If I had committed a failed attempt at treason do you honestly think I would be standing here at this very moment?" he asked slightly angry, momentarily disregarding the proper manners one should use in the presence of royalty.

"I do not see why not, especially if you did not know that I had discovered you were behind it. It would be a perfect opportunity to try and pin the blame on someone else or cover up your tracks. That seems just like the sort of duplicitous under-dealing you would do."

"What I don't understand is why you did it. How could you betray your friends for power? Was that the real reason you defeated Ganon so that you could take the throne once he was conquered?" She turned her tear filled glance in his direction, "I thought you were different, I thought I could trust you, obviously I was wrong. Her voice lowered and she looked at him with an agonized stare, "was it all just an act, our friendship? Were you simply using me?"

"No… I-"

"Regardless," she said straightening with the resolve of one who had just reached a decision, "It does not matter now. You have put me in a terrible position you have broken the law and threatened both my people and I. You have to be stopped."

With that she called for her guards.

Before Link could even think to react the room was filled with soldiers. He was completely shocked into stillness, and by the time he collected himself enough to react he was seized by two guards, and found himself surrounded by a ring of thirty more. To make matters worse his sword was taken.

The real Zelda, for it was none other than the Empress making all of the accusations in her guise as Zelda, watched all of these proceedings from behind a magic wall. This prison was created by the Empress so that she could see and hear everything that was going on, but no one could see or hear her. She had no idea what her enemy was planning but she was sure it was something awful. The Empress had left her with the parting threat, "interfere and I will signal my soldiers, placed strategically though the castle and town, to each kill one of your subjects."

Zelda looked terrified at her captured friend. It was her own guards who were holding him. The Empress was an amazing impersonator. She picked up voice style, movements, and even those slight habits that everyone has that no one ever really notices. Zelda doubted that she would be able to realize that the princess out there was an imposter if she were a guard, one of her subjects, or one of her friends. She watched in furious outrage as her evil copy paced back and forth in front of Link's confused face explaining the penalties of rebellion and disloyalty.

"According to the laws and customs of Hyrule, the punishment for a traitor subject is a public flogging followed by imprisonment and, in most cases, death. If you were not one of my subjects you would have been killed straight off. Any way you look at it the penalty for treason is death."

She watched as his eyes widened. "I never would and never did betray you!" He protested. "You are my princess and my friend on my honor I swear to you I-"

"Link," the fake Zelda cried angrily, cutting him short, "the oath of a liar means nothing to me. By our laws you deserve death. Not even our previous friendship could make me act outside the law; it is my duty to uphold it. You must give account for your crimes"

Link stared at her unbelieving as she turned to her head guard and spoke something softly to him. 'Previous friendship?' Zelda watched him mouth the cold words, an expression that was hard to read on his face.

All of their attention was diverted as the head guard leapt back aghast. "But princess," he protested, "that is the sentence for a traitor soldier."

"He is a warrior is he not?" the fake Zelda asked.

The guard nodded reluctantly.

"Then under Hyrulian law I can punish him in no other way."

"He is the most honorable warrior I know," the guard protested, "he has saved the lives of both my family and myself, to do what you are asking would be dishonorable."

"More dishonorable than disobeying your ruler?!" The phony Zelda practically screeched in rage. "Have you forgotten that he is a traitor? He betrayed this kingdom and in doing so he betrayed you as well as all the rest of us. He is responsible for the murder of your fellow soldiers. Do you want your companion's killer to avoid justice, to go free, his crimes unchallenged unchecked? I suggest you obey my orders or you can join him in his rebellion and earn yourself the title of traitor as well."

"I apologize, princess," he said quietly and signaled his guards and turned towards Link with an apologetic expression on his face. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Link watched him approach; the two guards on either side of him tightened their grip. He stared wide eyed at the approaching figure. Even if Zelda thought he was a traitor she would give him a fair trial, she would not really hurt him, would she? He felt his skin grow suddenly cold and a feeling of dread rise up within him. He knew what the sentence for a traitor soldier was, a brutal punishment that ended in some form of execution usually hanging or beheading or something worse. Because he was a warrior she had full right punish him that way if he were proven guilty. He watched as her head guard advanced steadily upon him. It was the commander's job to teach the traitor his place, and avenge his fellow soldiers before the final punishment was decided. His eyes grew wider with disbelief as the horror of what was about to happen dawned on him. His heart seemed to grow heavy within his chest. He directed his gaze pleadingly towards Zelda for a moment and was met by an unrelenting stare.

"Please," he whispered, "please believe me."

"I will never lower myself to believe another word you say ever again," she replied angrily.

The soldier kept advancing. Fully aware that this was a gross mockery of justice and well aware of the fact that no one was listening to him and that he had no chance at all to prove his innocence, he leaped into action. Because he saw no other option, he tried to free himself. He stuck without warning, skillfully knocked down the two guards holding him, and got in a short fist fight with the rest. He knocked down about ten soldiers and had almost made it to the door when the guards making up the outer ring moved in and some reinforcements came in. His path was blocked by two rows of soldiers.

Zelda knew the only way for him to escape now would be to try to get a sword and kill his way to freedom. He looked towards a fallen sword that was well within reach and then at the men that blocked his path. He stood down and was set upon, seized, and guided to the center of the throne room held on either side by two brawny guards.

The false Zelda, after giving one last seemingly brokenhearted glance in his direction, turned her back on what the soldiers were about to do. Link and the soldiers could not see the false Zelda's face, but Zelda could from her vantage point. It was lit with a revolting malicious grin.

"Don't listen to her! She is a fake!" Zelda screamed as loud as she could but her efforts were in vain.

She was fully aware of what the punishment for a traitor soldier was. It was a law she had wanted to change but had put it off because there had not been a traitor in the army for hundreds of years and she had never suspected anyone of such a thing. In fact Link was the last person she would ever suspect for treason. In her opinion there were only four reasons that could drive a normal person to turn traitor, fear, pride, revenge, or greed, and Link possessed none of those qualities. It was true that like most men he did have a certain amount of pride, but his pride was not the out of control sort that could lead to extreme arrogance and treachery. She watched in dread as her friend tried one last time to forestall his doom with one last desperate plea.

"Wait," he called out as he watched the head guard approach. "I demand the right to a trial as a citizen of Hyrule."

Zelda was surprised but pleased at his knowledge of the law; surely the Empress could no longer go through with her evil plan. As princess she had to follow and uphold the law. She could hardly believe her ears when her malevolent doppelganger contemptuously thrust his plea aside.

"I could sanction that if I felt there was any doubt whatsoever of you guilt," the false Zelda said half turning to look back at him, "but with all the testimonies and evidence against you there really is no need. There is no one who holds the slightest belief of your innocence, too many people saw you. Provision three states that as princess in matters of full certainty and national security I have a right to wave your plea aside."

She gestured for the hear guard to continue, and once again turned around.

Zelda cursed the loophole the Empress had found. It was cruelly unfair that she could misuse the provision made only for times of war when the council could not be summoned in time for the trial of a dangerous criminal.

"But… I…" Link stammered completely stunned by her refusal, "please, couldn't you-" His words were cut short by a vicious blow from the guard.

The real Zelda watched horrified from behind the magic wall as her best friend took hit after sickening hit. His face was twisted in an expression of pain, but his eyes were the worst part. The light that she loved so much was gone from their dark blue depths, and all that was left was a haunted expression of disbelief.

"Stop, please stop!" Zelda screamed as loud as she could, when two other soldiers came to the aid of their captain at her evil copy's command. She screamed even though she knew no one would be able to hear her. "Please don't hurt him!" She yelled even though she knew it was too late for that.

When she could not bear to watch any longer, she turned her head away. It was savage disgusting and heartbreaking. To think that men could be so cruel with a single commanded word. The sound of every blow and Link's pained gasps and grunts reverberated deep inside her causing every part of her being seemed to shudder and clench. She felt her face go pale with horror. The worst knowledge of all made her slump to the ground of her prison. Deep down, she knew that if she concentrated all her power she would be able to break the magic barrier that imprisoned her to save her friend. It was the awful knowledge of this choice that tormented her spirit. She could save Link, but only at the cost of many lives. If she tried anything the Empress would carry out her threat and her people's lives would be in mortal danger. She could not let a thousand die for the sake of one, her duties as a princess made sure of that. Not even when that one was more important to her personally. She let out a frustrated scream of anguish. No one should ever have to make such a choice. No one had the right to decide what life is most important, all life was sacred. She could do nothing to help him, she was utterly powerless.

To Zelda, it seemed like ages before the guard finally stopped, as if he had at last heard her desperate pleas.

"Did I tell you to stop? Continue!" her evil doppelganger commanded.

The guard looked at Link who was painting painfully, hardly able to hold his own weight, and then turned towards the Empress.

"He has had enough," he whispered.

The fake Zelda's back had been turned on these proceedings and as she spoke she whirled furiously around to face the guard, striding angrily towards the hapless soldier.

"Let me see."

A soldier pulled Link's head up by his hair to face the false Zelda.

"I suppose you don't have to, you could stop," she said as she walked up to him.

Everyone was silent the only noise was a muted sound from Link that was somewhere in between a moan and the cry of a wounded animal. Zelda looked at his bleeding face already darkening with bruises in a few places, that small noise was almost the only sound he had made during the entire ordeal. Despite this he looked the false Zelda straight in the eyes his azure gaze filled with defiance, undaunted, almost a silent challenge.

Zelda bit her lip nearly drawing blood, her eyes filling with hot angry tears as she watched on in horror unable to look away. She could not imagine what he was feeling. There was no denying that Link was brave, painfully brave.

"You sicken me. There is no lower form of life than a traitor," her evil copy growled as she stalked towards the captured teen raising a fist.

White hot magic electricity like sparks began forming around her clenched hand. Zelda's stomach seemed to twist inside her when she recognized the type of magic her enemy was making.

"You murdered my people!" The false Zelda yelled in an angry growl. "You betrayed your people! You betrayed this kingdom, and you betrayed me!"

She swung her electricity like magic encased fist towards Link. Zelda looked away wincing and shuddering at the sound of her friend's scream, as it echoed terribly long through the throne room. When it was finally silent again Zelda chanced a look. The guards had let go of Link and he was laying on his side on the ground before the false Zelda feet, half curled in a defensive ball, body shuddering with pain. The guards stood gaping in much the same manner that Zelda was. She could guess that they were shocked and probably horrified at her supposed cruel use of magic. Personally, she had only used magic like that once before on a shadow beast in self defense never on one of her subjects.

Her enemy strode over to where Link lay and stopped about a foot away from him and roughly kicked him to his back, so he was forced to meet her gaze.

"You only have yourself to blame," she told him scornfully. "You brought this upon yourself; by your traitorous actions. I don't understand why; you had everything you could ever have wanted, but that was not enough was it." Her voice dropped to a whisper, as if she only wanted his ears alone to hear her. She pressed her foot into his chest increasing the pressure with every statement causing him to gasp in pain for air. "How could you think that a low born peasant such as yourself could ever be anything more? You were never anything more; especially not to me. The title of slave would be too noble for you, traitor scum. I wish our paths had never crossed."

It was obvious that her words stung him as much as any blow and her self-righteous sneer made Zelda bare her teeth in furious outrage. Link's piercing blue eyes loomed large in his damaged face, seeming to glitter in the light of the throne room as they filled with tears that never fell.

The false Zelda turned away and the captain of the guard strode forwards.

"Take the prisoner to the dungeon," he ordered.

Zelda's heart sank. Her enemy was going to have Link executed, but her hope rose slightly when the false Zelda shook her head.

"No," she said, "not the dungeon. He is now banished. He may never set foot in Hyrule again, this includes all the provinces. He may never return under pain of death. Go and drag him through castle town before you throw him out of the gate. It will serve as a warning to any other would be traitors. Warn everyone that anyone who helps him gets the same."

"But princess," Zelda's head guard said quietly as if he were afraid to speak, "what if he has trouble getting away after you throw him out, he does not look as if he is in the condition for traveling after what you... I mean, in his present state. There are beasts that come out at night that would love to have him for their prey."

"So there are. If he does not get away before nightfall and the evil creatures get him, too bad," she said coldly. "He should have thought of this before he betrayed me." Then she turned to her guard, "you should be grateful that I did not have him hanged or beheaded like the law demands, but I will give him even more of a chance if it will make you feel better," she said mockingly. "Give him back his weapons, although I doubt he will be able use them very well at the moment, it's a pity isn't it." Then she directed her gaze towards Link, "if by some miracle the beasts do not eat you, you have until tomorrow morning to leave Hyrule."

As they dragged Link out of the room, the look that he gave the fake Zelda made the real one burst into tears. She felt sure that he hated her now and she didn't blame him a bit. The look was full of anger, sorrow, and pain, all twisted up that burned out of his eyes with such intensity that it made the false Zelda lose her smirk and take a step backwards as they passed. He never once broke eye contact with her and he never said a word.

When the guards were out of earshot, the Empress regained her confident sneer and released Zelda from her prison.

"I brought you a present to remember you boyfriend by," she jested as she tossed a slightly bloodstained green hat at her. "It would have never worked between you anyway," she sneered. "I probably saved you from a broken heart in the future. Look on the bright side; if he survives you will have a lovely new enemy."

Her laughter grated in Zelda's ears. Her fist clenched around Link's hat as she rose in anger and struck an offensive pose.

"Oh no you don't," the Empress chided, "remember our deal? Only one false move and you know what will happen. Soon I will be needing lots of you help and cooperation. You see," she went on, "I can only copy another's form for a short period of time and then I can never effectively copy them again. That being said, when I can no longer copy your form I will hang around invisibly behind you. On that day you will need to lend me your strength and person, understand?"

Zelda shook with rage for a moment before grudgingly consenting. She knew she should probably be thinking of an insanely clever plan to get out of this mess. Unfortunately, this was near impossible when all her captor had to do was to look deep into her eyes to find out what she was up to. Also, she needed to find a way to help Link. To say that his life was in danger would be an understatement, but she did not know what she could do. She was under constant supervision by the Empress. Thinking of Link, what had happened made her feel sick and made tears well up in her eyes.

The worst part of all was that he thought she had done it. He thought she was responsible for his pain. 'Unfortunately,' she thought with a pang of guilt, 'this was partially true. She was responsible because of her choice.

As if he hadn't gone though enough when Ganon had taken over. He had started out life as a simple farmer that destiny forced into warrior hero. Although perhaps simple, was not exactly the right word for him for she had never know him to be simple minded. He had not defeated Ganon with mere brawn alone. His determination to save his friends family and kingdom freed them all from the hands of a tyrant. It was almost solely his actions that saved the kingdom, and this was how she repaid him for his loyalty, sacrifice, and courage. She may as well have stabbed him in the back. Her lip quivered as she glared hatred at her enemy. The kingdom was in danger but even if he survived there was little chance that he would ever come to her aid or the kingdoms aid ever again. She had lost one of her greatest friends for the sake of this monster's amusement.

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**Chapter question!**

**Who are your favorite Zelda's? **

I like TP Zelda, SS Zelda, Tetra and ST Zelda.

**Remember Read and Review! You will fill my sadistic heart with Rainbows!**


	3. Desperate Escape

**A/N:** Sorry for the delay! School is being annoying and taking time from writing. Final Exams are soon-eek!

**Thank you for all the people who reviewed!**

**minijen-** Thank you! I was feeling very bad that I had to do that to him *sniff* but it had to be done.

**Din's Fire- **Men are so arrogant, that is why they fail as bad guys. This chapter doesn't much torture in it, sorry.

**Jaden Laryia- **Thanks!

**ClarkyGirl-** That is exactly what I want to do to her! Thank you for reviewing, by the way I really love your story Heart!

**Disclaimer-** I DO NOT OWN THE LEGEND OF ZELDA! Though I wish I did.

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**Desperate Escape**

A small crowd had gathered and they were watching the guards drag a badly battered and listless Link towards the gate. They stood staring, looks of disbelief or disappointment frozen on their features. They could hardly bring themselves to believe that the boy they had thought to be one of their heroes was actually a traitor. The guards dragged him through the gate and across the drawbridge before tossing him to the ground. He fell in an untidily heap and did not move.

"How dare you?!" shouted a loud female voice. "What do you think you're doing?!" The large boned red haired woman headed for the gate calling, "don't worry honey, I'm coming!"

Link only shifted slightly and moaned for an answer. When he did not correct her to inform her that he was not a honey but a dear (a sort of private joke between them), she intensified her efforts to get to him. The guard, however, stopped her before she reached him.

"Telma," he informed her, "anyone who tries to help him gets the same."

"Why you stinking coward, I'd like to see you try it." She fumed as she pushed past him only to be stopped by two other guards. Telma owned the local bar she had used it as the Resistance's base. She was the one responsible for bringing the Resistance together when the kingdom was threatened, and she had become a rather respected figure around town.

"You cannot pass," the guards said, "we are under orders."

"Orders?! Whose orders?!" Telma exploded with rage, "who did this?" she demanded.

"The princess Zelda," the guard admitted, "but its little less than what he deserves."

Telma was shocked and speechless for a moment and then she turned red with rage, "why would the princess do this? And what do you mean he deserved that?" She demanded angrily, her voice sounding completely horrified.

"Because Link is a traitor," the guard replied curtly, "he tried to overthrow the princess by taking her throne by force. He murdered solders in cold blood. Honestly, the princess should have killed him."

"Link a traitor?" Telma exploded again. She looked as if she would flatten the hapless guard; but with an obvious effort she controlled herself, turned, and stalked angrily away. Link was many things but a traitor was not one of them. Furthermore, in her opinion, if he had actually tried to take the throne by force he probably would have succeeded. To her this was a groundless atrocity. She was going to get the Resistance involved and she was going to help him. It was almost sundown and if he couldn't move he would need their help.

The head guard watched Link from the top of the battlements. It was past sunset and he still had not moved.

"Come on," he whispered, "move." Even if Link was a traitor he had helped save his family and he did not want to see him killed.

Link was obviously aware of the danger, and as if he were answering the guard's silent entreaty, he slowly shakily pushed himself up with his hands and stood on his knees for a short time before pushing himself up into a standing position. He shifted his weight to take a step, cried out slightly, and faltered, nearly falling. He righted himself. He lifted his head and stood up straight. Gritting his teeth and holding his side with one hand he began laboriously to limp heavily away. He had not gone more than four paces before his leg and body gave out on him and he doubled over, slumping to the ground once again with a muted cry.

The head guard turned to his companion, "I am going to help him, my family owes him a life debt, and I can't just let him die." His fellow guard seemed to agree and they both were turning to help when from the top of the wall, they saw Link shakily pull something from around his neck, a sort of whistle or flute. He blew on it and a sweet simple melody drifted towards their ears. They watched fascinated as a beautiful Belgian-like horse seemingly appeared out of nowhere. When she saw her master she whinnied softly and nuzzled him gently, whiffing. He stroked her nose speaking gently. She whinnied quietly again as she knelt down beside him. Link rallied himself and crawled onto the saddle, using her neck for support, as she rose and trotted off.

He was not really paying attention to where his horse Epona was taking him as he drifted in and out of consciousness; he focused all his efforts into staying in the saddle to keep from slipping off. Epona, however, had her mind set on Ordon village, so she trotted off in that direction. She knew her master was in trouble so she took the quickest path to get there, but even on the fastest route it still took several hours to reach the small village.

* * *

**A/N: **Short chapter, I know, but the next chapters will be longer. I hope you like it! If you want to know the reason that I made Epona a Belgian is because she has a lot of characteristic of it, she is huge, she is the same color, she has feathers on her feet (that is what they call hair on the horses feet) ect. You should go look it up!

**Chapter Question-** Who are your favorite bad guys?

Mine are Vaati (do I really need to explain?), Ghirahim (he is so creepy, but he makes a really good bad guy), TP Ganondorf (he looks so evil, he doesn't have a 5ft long nose and he is not 40ft wide) Zant (seriously he was very creepy in the begining), Demise. **after you... *sadistic grin while watching Zant trying to escape, foaming at the mouth...***


	4. Traitor

**A/N: **Oh my GOSH! I am so so so soooo sorry for the late update! But school has gotten to me and my beta reader, TwilightWalkerofTime, was really busy! First I had to study for my Mid-Terms, then I had to do a Science Fair Project, then I had to redo the project because my plants died because they didn't get watered while I was on a short vacation, so I had to think up another project that would only take a week and a half, then my teacher came up to me and said that he lost me and another student's Mid-Term so he gave us 5 minutes to prepare (Only 5 minutes!), then we re-took it. He came back to us next week and told us how he lost it, his puppy ate them (well half of them, he showed it to us)! And he said that what he saw of the half-eatten test we would have gotten 100's, so now I am stuck with a 91% (Because of all the random facts I know, I get all the extra credit work). You know how that makes me feel, FURIOUS, OUTRAGDED, SICK WITH ANGER!

**Narita:** Sorry! I hate cliffhangers too! But they always seem to find a way in.

**Din's Fire: **I love riding around on Epona, it's so fun. But, alas, villagers are gullible and believe anything they are told...

**ClarkyGirl: **Hahahaha! Well I have some good news for you, you will see Wolf Link in future chapters.

**Generala: **Well I can only answer one of those questions, you'll have to read on for the answers to others. If Zelda did try to free herself fromt The Empress, The Empress would make (and kill) all her people. As Spock says, 'the needs of the many out way the needs of the few,' or was it the other way? I don't know, but it is something to that effect.

* * *

**Traitor**

It was very late that night when Link finally reached Ordon. Colin was sitting outside his house watching the stars. His mom was busy cleaning in the kitchen and organizing last year's seeds for planting this year. She was so absorbed in her work that she had burned though several candles and had completely forgotten to call him in for bedtime. He happily took the extra moments to try and find some of his favorite constellations. He had just located the kestrel, when he saw Epona approaching.

"Link," Colin called out happily to him as he watched them come nearer.

His happy mood instantly vanished when he saw the undignified way Link got off his horse and slumped to the ground.

"Link?" Colin cried out anxiously, as he ran towards him. "Mom come quick," he called towards the house. "Link is hurt, hurry!"

Uli came out of the house almost immediately and ran to his kneeling form. After examining him quickly she put his arm over her shoulder and lifted him to his feet. Then she helped him into the house, all the while asking questions like: "What happened? How did this happen?" and the like, after telling Colin to go and fetch water from the Spirit Spring and to get out her healing herbs. Spirit Spring water was known for its healing properties.

"What happened?" she repeated as she helped him lay down on the couch and began removing his boots and tunic. He did not answer, and when she saw the expression on his face she did not press him. She knew he would tell her when he was ready. She felt a hot prickle of tears sting her eyes when she took in his shirtless form.

"Oh, Link," she whispered.

He cut his pain filled gaze to the side and lowered his head. She had hardly ever seen his eyes look so haunted before. She had an unsettling feeling that his pain went deeper than his injuries.

Composing herself, she began to examine him closely. She gently ran her hand along the trouble spots with a practiced touch to check for broken bones or complications, all the while making note of everything she would need. Even though she was gentle, the constant hitching of his breath, clenched teeth, and soft moans were obvious indications that it still hurt him. She ran her fingers soothingly through his hair before heading to the kitchen table.

She went to work preparing several different poultices from her herb supply. She used comfrey arnica and primrose for bruising and swelling, goldenseal, goldenrod, calendula, and marigold for cuts, along with some other herbs. She started a fire to boil some of the Spirit Spring water that Colin had fetched, with some herbs to make a healing drink; she mixed this with half a bottle of potion she had stored up, made from the red chu jelly. It was not known for having a pleasant taste but its healing powers were great for helping with internal and external damage. She also heated some gumweed and globemallow sap for sticking some of the nastier cuts shut. It was less painful then stitches but worked just as well. Usually, it was used for smaller gashes that what would need stitching though, which was what she was planning to use it for.

She used the rest of the water along with lavender and tea tree oil to gently clean the wounds and prevent infection. His face screwed up in pain and a slight whimper escaped him as she applied the disinfectant. She knew it stung pretty badly but it was necessary. She rubbed his arm and murmured soft apologies to comfort him.

As far as she could see there was no internal bleeding so she put away her hartwegs sundrops and redroot buckwheat. Kneeing down beside the couch, she began to apply the poultices to the wounds, frowning at the few bruises and many cuts that marred his face. Her ministrations seemed to alleviate some of the pain and she felt him finally start to relax, his breathing becoming calm, deep, and level.

"As soon as you tell me who did this to you I would like to give them a severe talking to with my frying pan," she said angrily as she continued to work.

Ever since his parents had died, when he was very young, she had unofficially adopted him and thought of him like her own son. That being said, she was completely serious about the frying pan. Her comment was received with a tiny and brief smile from Link before he resumed his sad and pained expression. 'Well a tiny smile is better than no smile at all,' she thought.

When she was finally finished, she stood back and surveyed her work, whipping of some sweat that had accumulated on her forehead. He had fallen asleep and she knew there was nothing more she could do for him but let him rest and let his body heal itself. She replaced his light undershirt, pulling it gently over the bandages on his chest and torso. He was so exhausted that the motion hardy roused him from his sleep. He mumbled incoherently as she placed pillows behind him and a light blanket over him to make him comfortable. She could only pick out one word from his soft mutterings before he was once again silent. '_Traitor_?' she wondered to herself thinking it a rather odd word choice. She gently ran a cooling hand over his hot cheek and forehead carefully avoiding the wounds. It hurt her to see him like this.

Colin stood near her side anxiously wringing his hands.

"He will be alright," Uli assured him. "He was lucky as far as beatings go. It appears it was meant keep him down and hurt him but not to severely hurt or kill him."

"Beat- you mean someone- but, but," he stammered. "Who would do this? Why would they do this? And most importantly, how?" Colin demanded tears forming in his eyes.

"You know Link; he thinks with his heart more than his head sometimes and that gets him into trouble."

"Yeah, but he is usually able to use his mind and skill to get himself out of any problem his heart puts him into," Colin retorted quietly, glancing pointedly at Link's hands.

Uli knew what he was implying; she had also noticed that his hands and forearms bore hardly any offensive or defensive wounds. It looked rather like he had not even tried to fight back or was unable to. It was highly unlikely that anyone would successfully get the drop on him, so it did beg the question who, why, and how. Uli looked sympathetically at her son. She knew he idolized Link and thought of him like an older brother; an older brother who was also like a best friend even though Link was five years his senior.

"He will be completely fine after some rest and a several days of taking it easy," she told Colin softly.

"I will stay with him until he gets better," Colin informed her, his eyes solemn.

"You may stay with him for a little while longer, but you won't help him by making yourself sleep deprived, you are going to bed and so is your little sister. I will stay up with him.

"But mom-"

"You will be going to bed as soon as I get your sister to fall asleep," she informed him in her that's final voice. "You can keep an eye on him for now though," she said gesturing to Link, her expression softening as she looked at him. "Tell me if he needs anything."

Colin looked indignant for a moment but finally nodded.

Uli smiled and kissed him on the forehead before scooping up her daughter and leaving the room.

"You can sit with him all day tomorrow of you'd like," Uli said softly as she left "I am sure he would be glad of your company. If he starts hurting again or wakes up while I'm gone then help him drink this," she said pointing to a cup filled with a light infusion of valerian, poppy, and mullin. "If it's really bad you can give him the other half of the red potion first."

Colin nodded solemnly, pulled up a stool, and sat down. He was more than happy to stay with Link as long as he could. This was almost the latest he had ever stayed up in his entire life, but his previous joy at his mother's oversight was substantially dimmed by the present circumstance.

At the moment, he was staring at Link's still from in puzzlement. Hyrule's hero was usually known for getting out of really tight situations relatively unscathed. Colin shook his head; Link had obviously bitten off more than he could chew this time. He secretly hoped that Link gave as good as he got, but the absence of defensive and offensive wounds made him wonder.

He glanced worriedly at Link's face as the wounded teen shifted almost feverishly in his sleep, moaning softly, before he shuddered and then lay still. The flickering firelight from the hearth glittered of something shiny on his sleeping face and Colin watched as it rolled down his cheek, a tear. Colin tried to think back wondering if he had ever seen Link cry before. 'It could be,' Colin thought, 'that the cut going down his friend's eyebrow and the corner of his eye had caused his eye to sting and made it water,' but Colin was not so sure.

He reached for Link's hand and softly wished and prayed for him to get better soon.

**~x~X~x~**

Link woke in the early morning with a start and winced, stifling a groan, as he sat up. The sun had not yet risen, but through the window he could see the faint glow of the coming day. Uli sat sleeping deeply in her whicker chair beside him, and he could tell by the absence of sound in the little house that Colin and his sister were asleep as well.

He had a vague memory of Uli's soft words and cool touch to calm his hot, feverish, pained, thrashing when he had half woken in the middle of the night. He looked sadly at the woman who had always been a mother to him. He was glad that she was sleeping because he knew she would not approve of his planned course of action. He knew he needed to get away and soon. He had endangered them by coming here. He was positive that soldiers would be sent to Ordon to make sure he had left Hyrule completely. If they discovered he had been here, Colin's family could be hurt or killed for his sake. He could not allow that to happen. He shouldn't have come here at all but he had had no clue where else to go.

He pulled off the loose bandages that were on his face. They had been used for the sole purpose of poultices in place, but he needed to be able to see out of both eyes where he was going, and they were starting to irritate him. As he pulled them off he whispered a silent thanks to Uli; his left eye was no longer swollen shut. He pulled on his leather boots, taking care not to tighten the right one, and struggled to his feet. He tested his balance for a moment then grabbed his tunic and gear for their neat pile at the foot of his bed.

He headed slowly for the door using the wall for support. He knew that if Uli saw him trying to leave, she would stop him and to heck with the consequences. He felt slightly ashamed for not explaining the situation to her, but he did not really want to explain anything to anyone at the moment. He stepped outside and looked around for his horse. She was waiting for him near the front of the house.

When she saw him she trotted up to him whinnying happily, thrusting her muzzle into his hands in her traditional greeting. He stroked her and she sniffed him.

She pulled her head back, snorting with what could almost be considered disapproval, nearly glaring at him. She thrust her nose towards him and then towards the door of Uli's house. It was almost as if she were telling him to go back to bed because he clearly was not completely healed yet.

"As if," he told her with a sigh, "they are going to come searching for me and I have to get away- they could be on their way right now."

She tossed her mane and sided up to the porch as if she had understood every word, or perhaps she just sensed his urgency. He struggled slightly as he mounted her. It was not near as hard as it had been the day before and today; he could even ride her properly. It was too hard to put on his tunic and chainmail, so he put them in his saddle bag whilst making sure he had supplies. The cause of his all his difficulties was Zelda's handiwork; not only did he have contusions and cuts, but he had a palm sized starburst shaped burn on his torso near his side from Zelda's lightning that was sure to scar. It was this, coupled with an extremely bad bruise on his shin, given to him by a soldiers cudgel and several kicks, which made him limp heavily when he walked. The bone itself had nearly been broken.

Physically though, he felt much better today than yesterday. He wished he could thank Uli for her help properly but there was no time. He was not, however, feeling any better emotionally. His feelings seemed to be tied up in knots. What hurt the most was his heart and his pride. He felt almost completely overwhelmed by the sense of betrayal, the knowledge that the one he loved as friend, who he had risked his life for, was not the person he thought she was. He never expected her to be an enemy, a lying heartless cruel enemy. Why would his best friend betray him like that? His life and reputation were ruined. He used to be considered a hero and now he was nothing more a banished outlaw traitor, despised and outcast. He felt overwhelmed by the shame of it all.

He eased Epona into a thicket of trees as five soldiers appeared near the bend in the road heading in the direction of Ordon village. He put a soothing hand on her muzzle to quiet her as they came nearer. He held perfectly still, hoping they would overlook him. His heartbeat quickened. His undershirt was white and his pants were khaki. White stuck out terribly in the forest; if the soldiers were observant enough they would spot him. Thankfully they appeared to be tired and were oblivious to all around them. They had obviously been roused long before it was light out to be this far so early in the morning.

Sorrow rose up within him as they passed but this was quickly replaced by anger that turned into fury as he watched them disappear into the forest. He should not have to hide from the very people he had risked his life so many times to save.

They thought he was an outlaw? Fine he would be an outlaw. Not the treacherous murdering villainous type but his normal self. He would continue to help anyone who needed it and fight using the warrior's code of honor. Running away and leaving Hyrule was out of the question, mostly because it was the only home he had ever known. He knew it as well as the back of his hand, which gave him an advantage. He would make himself uncatchable and stay in Hyrule, living in the forests right under their infuriating noses. He knew lots of places a soldier would never think to look. All of this was fine, but he realized as he rode on, this would be easier said than done. He dismounted and limped to a safe spot to rest because, despite his new resolve, his whole body ached and he was very tired.

He sat with his back against a large tree with a comfortable indentation in its trunk. The tree stood near a moss and lichen covered rock outcrop with a sizable overhang. This natural barrier created a near-perfect campsite and it was in the safety of the deepest part of the woods. It also had the added luxury of a small freshwater spring not more than fifteen paces away from where he sat, partially concealed by rocks. He had found this small dell when he was younger and had named it his secrete hiding spot, spending many days of his childhood playing imaginary games in this forest sanctuary.

Only three other people knew of its existence: Ilia and Fado, his two village friends, and Rusl, who had tracked them there one afternoon when they had not come when he had called. That had put an abrupt end to their sneaking off into the 'dangerous' deep-woods and only he had visited it since. Not even the recollection of those pleasant childhood memories lightened his heart enough to make him smile.

He pulled his knees up to his chest. All his tenacity seemed to vanish for a moment as he scanned the nearby foliage. The silent beauty of the forest sparkling with light as the rising sun glittered through every dewdrop brought him no comfort. He hurt, his pride hurt, and his name would be forever tainted. He had lost everything and everyone he loved, aside from his horse. His lip quivered slightly and a tear rolled down his cheek. Being reduced to weeping for himself shamed him and he tried to stop his tears, but it was a losing battle. He angrily brushed them away with his hand and stared dismally around him.

He had been in hard situations before but he could always fight his way through it or do something about it. He had never before felt so alone and helpless. His tear-filled glance fell upon his horse and then on the shield he had slung over his saddle bag because it had been too heavy to carry. His gaze became riveted to the Hyrule crest that was engraved into its surface; it was the symbol of the kingdom and its ruler, an emblem that he had once been proud and honored to carry. As he studied its design his miserable expression turned into a scowl of anger and he clenched his fist.

** ~x~X~x~**

Uli woke rather late in the morning, attributing her tiredness to the fact that she had stayed up rather late looking after Link. Thinking of him, she turned towards the couch see if he needed anything, only to discover he was gone.

"Is the boy mad?!" She fumed. "Is he trying to get himself killed?!"

"Is who trying to get themselves killed?" queried a sleepy Colin, who had just been woken by his mother's furious outburst.

"Link," Uli complained. "He's gone."

"How?" asked Colin in astonishment.

"I have no idea, the scamp. Colin, I want you to go and find him before he hurts himself even more. He should not be up and about in his condition; he should be still and resting."

"He probably went out to obliterate whoever he got in that fist fight with," Colin teased, but his expression was worried.

Just as he spoke, Rusl burst through the door and into the room. He had been gone for the past week travelling about Hyrule and meeting with the Resistance, of which he was a key member. He had been talking with them the day before, when Telma burst into her bar, the Resistance's favorite meeting spot, all in a fury. She had explained the situation about Link as best as she knew to her equally enraged listeners. They had come up with a plan to help him but by the time they arrived at the scene, around twilight, he had already gone. The only tracks were that of his horse.

"Uli," he said when he entered the house, not even pausing to give his wife one of his customary hugs, "have you seen Link? He is in big trouble, I need to find him- I think he is hurt."

Uli explained that she had seen him and looked after him but he had left before it was light out. "I have no idea where he has gone to. You'd think that he'd have more sense than to run off like that," she finished angrily.

"I will go and find him," Rusl assured her. "Did he explain the situation to you?"

"No," Uli answered concerned. "He hardly said a word the whole time he was here, about the only thing he told me was 'thank you'."

"Alright," Rusl said, "we are running out of time so I will have to explain everything to you later. For now, you need to know that there are some Hyrule soldiers headed this way and if they ask you about Link tell them that you know nothing, understand? Absolutely nothing."

"Why? What has happened?" Uli asked suspiciously.

"I promise I'll explain later." He glanced about the room at the herbs, gauze, and the bloodied cloth hanging off the side of a bow of disinfectant that were strewn across the floor by the couch. He winced at the sight, a slight hint of anger flashing in his eyes. "It would probably be best if you cleaned that up also." He said gesturing at the mess.

"I was just about to," Uli said. "I would have done it last night but it was already so late and everything was just…" she left the sentence hanging.

Rusl nodded his understanding as he turned to run out of the house. "Remember tell them you don't know anything."

The door slammed shut behind him, leaving Uli and Colin wondering exactly what sort of trouble Link had gotten himself into.

**~x~X~x~**

After a long time of searching and checking many of Link's favorite hiding spots, Rusl eventually came across his trail in the deep part of the forest, and finally located him. He was sitting down, back against a tree, one arm resting across his stomach the other laying limply by his side. His eyes were closed and he appeared to be sleeping. His horse Epona was standing nearby, attentive as if she were keeping watch. She spied Rusl instantly but did not stir because he was a familiar face.

His former apprentice looked awful and for a second Rusl was worried, but it was more than that, he was also furious. Based on what Telma had told him and what he had seen of Uli's left over healing supplies in his house, he knew that it would be bad, but not even that knowledge prepared him for when he saw it himself. Link was like a son to him, and the thought that anyone had dared to do this to his apprentice made him downright irate. Rusl trusted the princess and he knew that there had to be one heck of a misunderstanding for something as drastic as this to happen for a mere allegation. It seemed as if Link's chest was barely rising and falling with his shallow breaths and Rusl felt his stomach clench in a rush of concern. He hastily moved forward, but as he drew closer, he accidentally stepped on a dry twig. Link's eyes sprang open and he leapt to his feet sword drawn.

"Stay away," he warned when Rusl tried to approach him

That response was completely unexpected and Rusl raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"What will you do if I don't? Attack me?" he replied sarcastically as he calmly continued to step closer.

"You don't understand," Link replied, his voice raised and his tone dark. "For you own sake keep away from me."

"I know what happened," Rusl placated, still drawing nearer. He was slightly perturbed by Link's angry tone. In all the time he knew the boy he had never raised his voice at him. He had raised his voice at circumstance and at the village children a few times when they were being exceedingly annoying but never at him.

Link pointed his sword towards Rusl's chest, "I said stay back," he menaced though gritted teeth as he took a step backwards, away from Rusl. He tried to take another backwards step but he grimaced, stifling an outcry as clutched his torso and sank to the ground. His teeth were gritted in pain. His right hand moved up to cradle his chest and side. He took a couple deep breaths before he used his sword like a crutch to help himself up again, making an angry growling muttering sound as he did so.

"Wait!" Rusl called out, for Link looked as if he had every intention of trying to make a dash for his horse to ride away. "Wait," he repeated, "I only want to help."

"Thank you," the blond youth said, smiling, "but I am doing quite fine on my own."

"I can see that," Rusl teased. To Rusl's eyes Link was looking rather less than fine at the moment. "What would happen," Rusl continued, "if at this very moment you were surrounded by Bulblins?"

Bulblins were vicious murdering creatures with greenish and sometimes purplish skin. They looked rather like goblins. It was their favorite pass time to harass creatures, murder and steal. All the defiance left Link's eyes and his expression became sad.

"I know you want to help, and I know I probably need it, but I cannot let you risk everything for my sake. You have a family and they need you more than I do. Also," he said smiling ruefully, "I picked this spot because it is relatively safe from bulblins and the like."

"I suppose you have a point," Rusl admitted reluctantly, "but I know you are not a traitor, and if you ever need anything you know where to go. You will always be welcome in my family- in fact, I have always considered you to be a part of my family. Nothing could ever change that. Perhaps I can send either Colin or Uli to check up on you when it's safe. In the meantime I will go to CastleTown and see if I can get to the bottom of this mess and try to clear this enormous misunderstanding."

"Thank you," Link whispered, finally relaxing. He had been slightly worried that when Rusl and his family found out the truth about what had happened they would think the lies were true and distance themselves from him. Now at least he knew a few people still trusted him and, better yet, never really doubted him.

Rusl helped him set up a nicer camp before he left. "It would be best if you lay low for a while until I get this sorted out," Rusl told him with an air of authority.

Link merely nodded as he sat back down, exhausted and pained.

"Don't worry, I will figure this out," he called as he headed back in the direction of OrdonVillage.

A memory flashed through Link's mind, urging him to speak, "Wait! She believes the Resistance was a part of it, she believes I led them. You could be in grave danger if you go."

"I will be fine," Rusl shouted back.

Link watched him leave. Rusl had a good head on his shoulders, and was one of the wisest people in the entire village of Ordon but he was doubtful that his mentor could get to the bottom of the mess. He would probably get imprisoned or fined or worse for trying, but Link knew that nothing he could say would change Rusl's mind.

* * *

**Okay, as soon as my beta reader edits the next chapter I will post it.**

**Question:**

**Are you happy that they made Windwaker for the WiiU?**


	5. Swearing Loyalty

**A/N:** Finally the next chapter! And this time the blame isn't on me! It is on my beta reader, so throw all the rotten food that you had for me at her! Just kidding!

**ClarkyGirl:** Yeah now that I look at it more closely he does talk more like adult...Make sure that you kill her very slowly and painfully she deserves it!

**MiniJen: **Well you will just have to wait and see... :D

**7he Goddess Din: ***Gasp* I never abandon a story! I am thinking that maybe I should post a chapter every week then when my beta reader betas the chapter I post the beta-ed chapter up? Do you think that's a good idea?

**Keiron: **I'm not saying anything!

**Generala: **Yeah deffenitly.

**Narita: **Poor poor Link, you know I just realized something: The more a person loves the charater the more that charater gets hurt. Cliffhangers also drive me crazy.

**Fatal Strike: **Yes it does... :)

**Mortal Draw: **Thanks!

**Guest: **Yes, here it is. :)

**Rawr I'm A Toaster: **Yes he is emotinally hurt. Maybe...never mind... I was about to tell you SPOILERS!

* * *

**Swearing Loyalty**

Rusl stood inside Zelda's throne room. The Resistance had been summoned by the princess. They were all there; Telma, Auru, Ashei, Shad, and himself. They were flanked on two sides by a rank of guards. Rusl trembled slightly as he recalled what had happened to Link, but he forced himself to remain calm. Shad however seemed to be having difficulties calming himself, he looked absolutely terrified. Rusl could not blame him for his fear; he had no idea what Zelda was planning to do to them. When he had promised to get to the bottom of the situation for Link, this had not exactly been a part of his plan.

Zelda stood and directed her gaze towards them. She looked genuinely distraught. "I have called you here to speak of Link's insurrection and the part that you, the Resistance, have played in it."

"We were never a part of a rebellion, and neither, for that matter, was Link," Telma cut in furiously. "We were always loyal to you, your Highness."

"Do not insult me with lies for I am aware of the truth," Zelda replied while holding up a hand for silence. "Link, my former friend and ally, has betrayed me," she said softly. Her expression was a mask of pain and sorrow, "I know he enlisted your services to do so."

Telma looked as if she were about to cut in a give the princess a piece of her mind but Zelda gestured for silence.

"I want to tell you that I have made a decision about this whole affair. You were always loyal to me. I never suspected Link of treachery until it was too late. I am, therefore, assuming that all of you just made the same mistake and did not realize he was leading you to treachery and rebellion until it was too late. You simply fell under the spell of his lies like the rest of us. That being said, if you can right now admit to this and swear your loyalty to me and promise to obey my commands I will let you go and speak no more of this matter. If, however, you refuse I will be forced to believe that you really were after my throne and are in fact traitors and you will be dealt with as such. I don't want you for my enemies." Her voice seemed to lower slightly and became cold and threatening as she continued, "And you don't want me for an enemy either now do you? What do you say?"

Her gaze fell directly upon the trembling Shad who nodded emphatically and then finally calmed himself when he realized he was in no danger. Rusl watched as one by one every member of the Resistance made the pledge. Lastly she turned to Rusl and he nodded his agreement as well. He had always been loyal to the princess and if they were all on good terms he could perhaps explain that there had been a misunderstanding.

"You may take your leave then," she commanded, waving them away. "I do not know what has become of this kingdom. When one cannot even trust ones friends it is obvious there needs to be some changes, as much as it pains me to say this."

Rusl did not quite know what to make of this last comment. As he turned to leave, a call from Zelda made him halt.

"Rusl, I am fully aware of how close you and Link are. I am, therefore, driven to ask you if you know anything of his whereabouts."

"I know nothing your majesty, I have not seen him and he has not made himself known to anyone in Ordon." Rusl hated blatantly lying to his ruler but Link would most surly get executed if Zelda found him. Not to mention the trouble he and his family would be in.

"Do you have any idea where he might be hiding?" Zelda asked him.

"Your guess is as good as mine, your highness," Rusl shrugged.

"Perhaps he really is dead then or has left for good," Zelda said quietly before she nodded at him, signaling that he could leave.

Rusl bowed and turned to go. As he left the throne room he glanced back to see the princess silently weeping.

~**x**~**X**~**x**~

The real Zelda stared miserably through her tower window, watching the Resistance as they left the castle. The full realization of the Empress' plan dawned on her and her face flushed with fury. The Empress was playing with everyone for her own amusement. Zelda's throat tightened with an odd mixture of emotion, grief anger and guilt. She did not even know if Link was alive. No one had found him or had even seen him for that matter. She doubted that anyone could fight through a night of dark creatures in the condition he had been in. On the hopeful side, if anyone could do it, it would be him.

He was a talented swordsman, but it was more than that. He never seemed to be afraid of anything, and he had determination to match his courage. He would bravely charge into any situation if the cause was great enough. She needed courage and determination right now, and also, a super genius plan. Unfortunately, if she were caught trying out any of her schemes it could put her people's lives in serious jeopardy. She abhorred felling weak and helpless, but she did not know what she could do about it.

There was however, something she could do to see if Link was alive. There was no guarantee it would work because it was not very reliable, but it was something. This was a small trick her mother had taught her when she was very young. It could show images, like getting glimpses of people or things that one especially desired to see. It was unreliable because it would only give fleeting pictures and it was impossible to tell whether what one saw was happening at that exact moment, or had long since happened, or, worse of all, if it was an image put together by one's own imagination showing simply what one desired to see. That last outcome did not happen often and would not happen if the magic was done correctly, but it was still a perchance. Doing this little trick required complete concentration. Long moments of work in exchange for brief flashes of knowledge but, in some cases, it was worth it. She had used this bit of magic several times when she had been a captive of Ganon to see what was going on in her kingdom.

She knew she might be able to find out about Link and yet she hesitated. Why? Simply because she was afraid of what she might see. Sometimes ignorance was better than knowing a terrible truth. She was terrified that she might see something awful. Suppose she saw him lying wounded on the field while all manner of nocturnal beasts of darkness closed in on him. Suppose she learned he was dead.

'Stop playing the fool,' she told herself harshly, 'you're bound to find out sooner or later. Better sooner than later.' She argued with herself. Resolved she decided to try it. Checking to make sure that guards standing by her door were paying her no mind she concentrated.

For a long while she saw nothing, and then she caught a flash, it was an image of him lying on the field at sunset. Her heartbeat quickened with dread. Then as soon as that picture came it faded into another, her heart leaped with hope. The vision showed him lying in darkened room only lit by firelight, a blond child holding his hand and a blond woman tending his wounds, his shin and torso covered in bandages his face marred by contusions.

The hope she felt at the knowledge that he might have gotten help was blighted by the pity that she felt because he looked so helpless. Helpless was not a word that he deserved to be described by' she thought angrily, 'he was so much more than that.' It was horrible to see her friend brought down so low and she had been the one to let it happen. Then that image faded to reveal him standing in a forest glade his back turned to her. The last picture snapped into a sudden darkness as her concentration was interrupted by dreaded voice, the Empress.

"You really care about him don't you," she sneered. "How delightful for me, this just keeps getting better and better," she laughed. "I don't know why you bother caring about him; I can assure you that the feeling is no longer mutual after what 'you' did. Well don't just stand there tell me what you saw. Is he yet alive, and if so where is he? I only ask because I don't know myself. Using magic to spy like that was the one power I was never able to master."

Zelda was not surprised to hear this. Her mother had told her that to use magic like that one's motives had to be pure or it would not work. She doubted that her nemesis had ever had a pure thought or motive in her life.

"I don't know," she replied truthfully for she did not know if what she saw had been a desire of her mind or an actual image of the past or even the present. "It's never clear," she told the Empress coldly. What she was thinking was, 'even if I did know for sure I would not tell you.'

The Empress laughed as if she had read Zelda's thoughts. "In my opinion it's worthless having a power that is not definitive," she smirked. "Oh well looks like we will just have to find out the long way. By the way, if you ever try to use magic again, unless I tell you to, I think many of your villagers will meet with an unfortunate end. Am I making myself clear?"

"Perfectly," Zelda growled back as the Empress turned to leave.

* * *

**Did you like it? What do you think about the idea of posting once a week (or more) then re-post them when my beta betas it, good or no?**

**QUESTION:**

**Who are your top 5 favorite Zelda characters (excluding Link and Zelda** (Which includs, Sheik and Tetra)**)**?

Mine are: Ashei, Midna, Malon, Shad (I don't know why I like him, maybe because he is weird) and it is a tie between Ezlo and Colin.


	6. Tracking a Wolf

**A/N: **And so the adventure begins! Couldn't help adding that, Link is now officially on the run and he won't be stopping till the end (slight spoiler :) From this point on its full of rising action and everything has been set into motion. No turning back. (Evil laugh)

**Guest: **Thanks!

**MiniJen: **Thanks, and yes the Resistance will join Link, it may or may not be because of Ashei...

**Generala: **If I tell you the answer to the first question it will spoiler the whole book! Well...not really, just part of it... Well Zelda has to take into consiteration that if she does anything rebelious the Empress and her minions will slauter her people... (Not that I would mind, some of the people in Hyrule are just plain creepy *Cough* the clowns *Cough*

**7he Goddess Din: **I agree with you on the people. Yeah, she will be known as the Empress.

* * *

**Tracking a Wolf**

Rusl had told Uli everything he knew before he left for Castle Town. It was an awful tale and had surprised Uli greatly. Worse still, it had spread like wildfire through the gossip relay system and all of Hyrule seemed to know about it. It had only been three days and there were already some highly embellished versions. Almost all of these portrayed Zelda as a tragic hero who had to fight her former friend and protector to save the people of Hyrule because he had turned evil due to power lust. The only tale that did not put it that way was the one that Rusl had told. His tale portrayed both of them in some sort of misunderstanding. Anyone who knew Link well, including almost the entire village of Ordon, believed Rusl's tale fully.

Rusl had given Uli a map showing her where to find Link and she had gone every day to check on him. She took a different long ambling path each time to reduce the chance of being tracked or followed. During the three days he had been hiding he had hardly spoken to her except to say a greeting when she came, give his thanks, and say goodbye when she left. He would answer her questions in the shortest possible way. He was usually a more quiet person, unless he was joking around, but this silence was abnormal. His usual grin was replaced by a dull sullen expression. Uli had had just about enough. "Why don't you tell me what happened," she urged as she helped re-bandaged his chest, nodding with approval at the rate of his healing.

He was still a mess but he was improving quite a bit. He gave a sharp intake of breath and winced as she secured the bandage. She crooned a soft apology and rubbed his back soothingly as she waited for him to speak. He flinched away from her touch slightly, obviously feeling a little distressed.

She knew the subject was rather touchy for him, and she did not want to bring him and undue pain, but he couldn't keep on this way.

"Please tell me," she asked again when he said nothing.

He shook his head staring at the ground.

"Link."

His head was lowered as he fiddled agitatedly with his bandages. Finally, he spoke.

"By now you already know what happened. What good is there in being repetitive?"

"Keeping things all contained inside you is not going to get you well any faster, it will only make it worse," she insisted. "Also, I have only heard other people's versions. The most popular and most widely believed one tells how you, followed by an army of darkness, marched into the castle and tried to take over. Zelda then had to face you to put a stop to your murdering traitorous evilness and the both of you were locked in a duel to the death, which you lost. She in her kindness and mercy couldn't bring herself to finish you off and so she banished you instead."

As she spoke his head slowly lifted. She watched his eyebrows rise with slight surprise and then his sullen expression turned into an angry scowl.

"I suppose my evil red eyes were glowing, the sky darkened, and plants withered beneath my tread as I headed for the castle with my dark army," he replied sardonically smiling bitterly, not looking at all amused.

"I know it isn't true because I know you, she assured him, "but I would like to know the truth."

She watched as he struggled up into a standing position and limed heavily a few paces away. There was a long moment of silence as if he was debating whether or not to tell her before he spoke hesitantly, like he considered admitting the truth to be shameful, embarrassing, and painful. He was blunt and straight to the point, his tone was hushed. According to him some unknown person had attacked, the princess had jumped to conclusions and in her wrath she had acted first and had not even bothered to ask questions later. She tricked him into coming had her soldiers jump him and had dealt out a cruel punishment without even giving the accused a trial. She then added many an insult to injury before she left him to die on the flatlands outside the castle wall.

His voice rose suddenly with anger, "It was humiliating to be paraded around castle town as lies were announced about me! Everyone was staring at me believing every single word. I could do nothing about it. One of the more gullible villagers even took a swing at me. Cruel petty credulous fools! They probably would have stayed to watch me die if the guards would have let them past the moat. When I was alone on the planes I could hear the evil beasts coming for me well enough, drawn by the scent of blood. Zelda in her mercy," he said sarcastically, "gave me my sword to fight them off with but she knew as well as I that I could hardly be able to use it. Her mercy was nothing but a cruel mockery!" His angry voice became laced with malice as he continued, "A kingdom whose system of justice is a corrupt as this does not deserve to exist. I hate Hyrule, I hate gullible villagers, but most of all I hate Zelda!"

"Link!" Uli exclaimed in her you watch what you're saying tone your nearly talking treason.

He turned around heedless of her outcry, "I would even go so far as to wish I had never wasted my time saving her and her precious kingdom in the first place!"

"Link that's enough!" Uli said disapprovingly.

"Is it? How many others have suffered an unjust fate because of Zelda? This kingdom is cruel! Just look at me!" he fumed pointing at his face that was pockmarked with fading bruises and near healed cuts.

"All I see is someone who needs healing in more ways than one," she told him calmly.

And whose fault is that?" he demanded scowling. "The fault of one I no longer care to serve! I was a fool to have followed her and trusted her!"

"If you could only hear yourself," she scolded, "maybe you weren't a traitor when this started but you are definitely sounding like one now."

"What does it matter what I say? I am a banished outlaw, I am free to say what I want. I am no longer part of Hyrule!"

"Link!" she cried angrily, bringing up her arms in a gesture of exasperation.

He stared at her almost coldly as if she were an enemy he was sizing up. A look, that was almost one of contempt, crossed his features. She had never seen him look at her like that before.

"Go ahead, hit me, just like everyone else," he challenged darkly, "since you obviously disapprove."

"What?" she gaped at him before looking down at herself. She had unknowingly clenched her fists and she was in a position that could well be considered a fighting stance. She gaped as she realized that she looked very much like she intended to knock him upside the head.

"I was not going to hit you," she exclaimed, unclenching her fists reaching towards him to gather the intractable teenager in a hug. "The thought never even crossed my mind," she assured him holding him tight but not so tight that it would hurt him. He seemed to half heartedly try to resist at first but then she felt the anger suddenly drain out of him and he went almost limp in her arms.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Forgive me for speaking out of anger."

She could tell that his tirade had worn him out. The places on his face where no bruises showed were very pale and his breathing had become heavy.

"I did not mean it, about Hyrule and the villagers. I'm sorry I raised my voice at you."

"Oh, Link," She said straitening his hair, "I know that. You have a right to be angry."

She had noticed that he had not recanted what he had said about Zelda and she guessed that it would be a long time before he did, if ever. His eyes had been lit with a fiery hatred almost like a silent oath of vengeance. She shuddered, inwardly. It would lead him to a sad place indeed if he decided to act upon such an oath. Unfortunately, if he was determined to act upon vengeance she knew she would not be able to stop him. She fervently hoped that would not come to that. It was a completely sad situation. Before this had happened Link was always the first to defend the princess's honor. What in Hyrule had the princess been thinking?

"If how you looked at me a moment ago is how you look at your enemies before you attack then it's no wonder they are afraid of you," she teased.

"I was being a fool," he whispered as he sank to the ground and she went with him. "Why does it hurt so much?" he asked her a hint of a sob in his voice but he was not crying.

"I don't know why," she answered quietly, wondering if he referred to getting beat up, losing everything he had except for his life and his horse, being humiliated and insulted, losing his good name and honor as a warrior, or being betrayed by one of his best friends, or perhaps all of them put together. "You still have your family and your friends in Ordon, they do not believe the lies," she told him gently as she offered a hand to help him back to his makeshift bed that was comprised of a few blankets and a couple of firs she had brought for him.

He refused her offer and went by himself. The tree trunk doubled as a sort of back rest and headboard, and it was ringed round with herbs she had brought for keeping bugs away.

"You should not be running around yet, you won't get better if you wear yourself out so," she complained. "That means no more temper tantrums until you're healed," she teased him

He shot her an annoyed glance that faded slowly into a hint of a smile.

'It must have done him some good to tell someone,' Uli thought, 'because his eyes no longer looked dull and lifeless.

"Uli ,"he asked her with one of his familiar mischievous smiles that meant he was about to joke, "now that you know it was the princess, are you going to go after her with your frying pan like you promised?"

She laughed, "I suppose I have no choice, Honor drive me to keep my promise. No one messes with a member of my family and gets away with it. You just point me in the direction of Hyrule castle and I will knock some sense into her skull," she teased back.

"It'd be a waste of a good pan if you ask me," Link grinned back at her.

"Nonsense," she barked as she picked up her small frying pan that she had brought for heating herbs and slung it over her soldier like a regimental soldier's spear. "Frying pans are the best implements there are for teaching lessons to scoundrels," She said in a gruff voice as she started marching south.

"Uli," Link called after her, "Hyrule castle is the other way."

"Oh, so it is," she grinned as she turned hastily around and feigned going north.

"Wait up," he called after her, "you might need some back up why don't you take my army of darkness with you, they might come in handy," he chucked "Where in Hyrule do these people get there ridiculous notions, army of darkness indeed."

She smiled at him as he lay back and closed his eyes. It was because of his lighthearted joking manner that she had started joking herself. Before he came she was much more serious. It was good to see him acting a bit more like normal.

**~x~X~x~**

As the first week neared its end the soldiers search for the kingdoms traitor had become more of a formality. They had not found him and they were about to give up and assume he had actually left Hyrule. This was until a veteran guard suggested that they check the deep parts of the woods. His suggestion was at first met with disapproval because many of the castle born soldiers feared the woods. However, a reprimand from their commander and a reminder of their duty and loyalty soon settled the matter.

**~x~X~x~**

A week and a half had passed since Link had started hiding in the forest. During the first part of the week, Uli had come to check on him frequently. She came less often as the days went by because he was healing fast and the soldiers were roaming about everywhere. Coming was growing increasingly dangerous for both of them. Link had at first protested Uli's visits because he did not want her to get found out. The penalty she would face if she was caught helping him was cruelly high, and he was quite capable of taking care of himself. Uli had taught him the arts of an herbalist and he was quite skilled at it. He was not as skilled as Uli, but he was rather accomplished. Uli had thought it important for him to learn this skill, and for this he was extremely grateful. The knowledge of plants and how to use them had proved to be very useful over the course of his travels. Initially though, he had learned the skill simply because he loved nature. He sighed, it had to be admitted that was nice to have someone who could be there when one needed it.

He had not seen Uli for several days and he was managing quite fine on his own. He assumed that the reason for her absence was due to the increasing amount of solders. When last he saw her she had said that they had started to search the woods. Now that he was feeling much better, and more like himself, boredom had set in. For a lack of anything better to do he went to work sharpening and polishing his sword. As he worked, his sharp ears picked up the sound of approaching figures. He had known Uli all his life so he could easily recognize her footfalls and could tell when she was coming long before she arrived. He could tell by the sound that none of the footsteps matched her stride or the gait of anyone else he knew exceptionally well. He could also tell by the way they crashed about that they were unfamiliar with the woods. As they drew nearer he could discern the light cLink of chainmail and he knew what he had to get away fast.

His horse could get him away quickly but she would be easily tracked. She was a large creature and her hoof marks could clearly be seen in the dirt. If he took her he certainly would be followed. On foot he could hardly be tracked across the hard packed earth; but his progress would be slow and painful. The soldiers were about to come into view and he had to make a quick decision. He gave Epona the order to run and snuck off in the opposite direction.

The guards heard the horse, took the bait, and chased after her. He had no fear for his horses safety he knew they would never catch her.

All the soldiers went in pursuit of Epona except for the older soldier; he bent over and studied the ground closely. He smiled ruefully as he discovered some faint tracks. After following them for a while the tracks became clearer and his smile broadened, based on what he saw he bet he could easily catch up to his quarry. It was obvious that his prey was favoring an injured leg.

After about an hour's limping march Link realized he was being tracked. He did not want to fight the guard who was after him but he would if he had to. Then he had an idea, he walked straight up to a tree trunk, on the on the edge of Faron field, and made it look as if climbed it. Then he walked across the tops of some rocks to a pile of leaves and hid his blade, the master sword, the sword that evil could never touch. Pulling out his shield he took out something that he had wedged in between the slats in the wood before covering it with leaves as well. The object was the Twilight Shard and as soon as he touched it he felt himself shifting into the form of a wolf. He had acquired the skill of shape shifting during his last adventure. The twilight shard was a crystal made from a manifestation of a spell cast by the usurper king Zant. The spell had caused him to transform into a wolf, and whenever he touched the crystal the spell would take effect. Whenever he wished to change back he touched the sword, which was the only thing capable of breaking the spell. There was only one other person in all of Hyrule that knew he had this ability and that was Zelda.

He sat and watched as the guard looked up into the branches of the tree, probably wondering why he had taken it in his head to climb it. Slowly Link slunk up to the guard and startled him by jumping out in front of him and snarling and growling furiously. The old guard's face became a picture of terror and he slowly backed away into the forest.

"So that is why he climbed the tree!" The guard squeaked as he backed off to get reinforcements. The guard, once he was out of sight from the wolf, ran calling his solders, "I found him! He is cornered in a tree that's being stalked by a wolf."

Link's canine ears picked up every word the soldier spoke. He would have to make himself scarce for a while; a whole group of guards would not fear a lone wolf. He slunk of to find a spot to hide that was not too far from the tree. He was too tired and sore to travel much further than this anyway. He hoped the guards would not find his stash of weapons.

As the party of soldiers came to the tree around sunset, he had another idea. He howled and snarled to keep the guards wondering and fearful. This way they would not know whether or not he would attack. He could keep them away from his tracks and hidden weapons. He kept it up for a while before he slunk off a little bit further into the night. He fell asleep to the sounds of the frightened guards who expected him to attack at any moment.

The next day he saw the disappointed group of soldiers trudging back to Hyrule. He listened intently to them as they talked among themselves.

"It's like he sprouted wings and flew from the top of that tree," a guard complained to his partner, "not a trace of him anywhere."

"Well he either flew away or turned into that wolf." His companion teased, and they burst out laughing at the utter ridiculousness of such a notion.

"He is a really talented escaper I'll give him that," the veteran guard said. "He is probably an expert at evasive maneuvers and false trails. If anyone asks," he continued, "we never found a trace of him. That way we won't get scolded for losing him.

* * *

**So I repost this when it gets edited. Did you like?**

**Question:**

If you were Link and you got to choose which quest you wanted to do, what would choose? (I.E. Like I would choose to be Link in Twilight Princess so I could go on that quest, fight all the bad guys and turn into a wolf)


	7. Saving an Enemy

**A/N: **Thank you for all the reviews! They fill my heart with rainbows! Here is the next chapter! Hope you like it!

**Gojira Geek: **Maybe sometime but no right now!

**Me: **Thanks!

**Mortal Draw: **Thank you :)

**Fatal Strike: **Hahahaha! I hope she suffers too!

**miano53: **Yes, those guards suck!

**Guest: **Yeah, I definitely agree with you there :D Awesome!

**Generala: **Thanks! I was worried that no one would like.

**AnimeMaster24: **Yeah, I agree.

**anon: **Thank you so much! Your're so sweet!

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony: **Yeah, poor him. Ghirahim is definitely fabulous ;P

* * *

**Saving an Enemy**

"I am about to bestow upon you the highest honor in this entire worthless kingdom."

Zelda narrowed her eyes and glared suspiciously at her captor. When it came to the Empress, highest honors ended up being more like highest horrors.

"I have finally lost the ability to mimic your lacking form convincingly, as I told you before my mimicking magic only last for a short time. That being said, it is about time for me to use you." She paused dramatically before continuing. "Today you get the honor of becoming an extension of me. From now I will hang around invisibly behind you and speak through your mind. You will say whatever I command and say it however I command."

"No," Zelda replied shortly, "I will never."

Zelda let out a gasp of pain and nearly fell over it was so intense. She had been hit with a light form of the Empress's electricity.

"I am beginning to lose my patience with you. We have been through this many times already. Your innocent villagers die if you defy me and," she said smiling wickedly, at the end of the day I will pay you back for every rebellious thought and slight disobedience." As she spoke her hand became sheathed in electricity and Zelda shuddered. It looked as if she would have to play at being complacent, at least until she had a plan.

~**x**~**X**~**x**~

Link remained a wolf for a couple more days until all the soldiers had cleared out completely. Then he headed back to the place where he had hidden his weapons. They were right where he had left them. He reached out his paw, lightly touched the blade of his sword, and shifted back to normal. This reminded him of all the time he had spent as a wolf the last time Hyrule was in danger. He sighed as he remembered Midna his ally and friend. He wished she were here now, but this was impossible; she had sealed herself in the land of twilight. Was he fated to be alone from now on in, a solitary outlaw? He hoped not. Although he liked to be alone sometimes, because he liked the quiet, alone for the rest of his life seemed a bit excessive.

He sheathed his sword and slung his shield over his back. Deciding it might be best if he hid somewhere else for a while, he prepared to leave. He would be harder to track and capture if he were constantly on the move. He waited for darkness and went on his way. He knew of a nice spot near the canyons where he could avoid detection. He supposed that this would be how he would live for a while, traveling by night and then hiding and then moving on after a few days to repeat the process. As he walked on he realized happily that the limp that had been bothering him was gone and he could travel reasonably fast now.

'Well at least now I'm no longer hobbling around like an old granny with bad problems,' he thought to himself with a faint smile.

The sun was rising as he neared his would be hideout. It was then he saw four people frantically trying to climb the sandstone ledges of a canyon wall. The red rock wall was about twenty five feet high and it was riddled with indentations. It was the rising sun reflecting off the sword that the tallest person carried that had caught his eye in the first place.

As he looked closer, he felt his face flush red with rage and his body tremble slightly with anger. It was Zelda's head guard Chefra and his family climbing the cliff. Despite his anger he looked to see why the guard, his wife, and their two young children were attempting such a risky free climb. It was then he saw them, a cavalry of armed guards led by a fat knight with a bull whip. Zelda's head guard, or former head guard, Link guessed, was being pursued by the knight and his troops. Chefra looked down the cliff whilst encouraging his children upwards.

"Hurry," he called down, "they have not seen us yet we need to make it to the top before they round the bend."

Then his eyes spotted the glaring form of Link down below.

"You're alive and alright," he gasped almost gratefully before he raised his voice. "Link lad," he yelled, "get out of here! There is a troop of guards headed this way after me for deserting." Chefra looked slightly sheepish as he continued, "I'm sorry for what happened, and for what I did, I promise I did not want to."

Link's rage cooled slightly, what the guard said was true to a certain extent; after all it had been Zelda who had given the order. Chefra turned to start climbing again.

"Run!" he called out, "for it is death for either of us if we are caught, my family too."

It was at that exact moment one of his children slipped and started to fall. Her long cloak billowed behind her as she slid down the rough sandstone. She caught herself on a narrow ledge, but was losing her balance and was about to fall the rest of the way to the ground fifteen feet below. Her mother screamed and covered her eyes.

Link, without really thinking, reacted. He hefted his sword, felt the balance, sighted and threw his sword like it was a dagger. His aim was true and he pinned the girl to the wall by her cloak to keep her from falling. The guard and his wife stared dumfounded at him. He was amazed at himself, how he had made such a shot he did not know. The guard called out his flabbergasted thanks as he climbed down to get his child before her cloak ripped. Link shifted his focus from the guard and his daughter to their pursuers. The cavalry had come dangerously close. He knew that once they rounded the corner the game would be up for the guard and his family, they would not stand a chance. He looked back at the desperate family, then at the cavalry, and made a dicision.

"Climb to safety!" Link yelled, "I'll distract them and lead them away. They would like to get their hands on me more anyways."

"Wait," Chefra yelled, "you'll get yourself killed!"

Link pretended not to hear as he broke into a run. Nobody should kill innocent women and children. Also, nobody should be killed for changing their views and beliefs, he thought angrily.

"Oh this is just brilliant," he muttered to himself as he came into full view of the cavalry. "I am willingly being chased by a cavalry that is led by a whip wielding maniac to protect a man who had recently caused me a lot of pain and I am unarmed. You are absolutely brilliant Link, brilliant, this is by far your best plan yet," he told himself sarcastically.

The soldiers willingly took the bait when they saw him, the traitor Link was a much bigger prize than a measly deserter.

Link was fast but there was no way he could outrun horses, and besides running long distance was not his favorite thing. He was a rather good sprinter but when it came to stamina running he was rather lacking. He looked around frantically for a place to hide but near the canyons the land was all flatlands, there was no cover anywhere. He was beginning to feel panicked when he had an idea. He pulled out and played his horse call as he ran. He prayed that Epona was wandering somewhere nearby. He had not seen her since they had parted ways in the woods but she had the uncanny skill of finding him. Unless she was penned she would try to shadow or trail him wherever he went and he loved her for it. He hoped with all his heart that she had heard his call.

As he sprinted for his life, with the cavalry pounding behind him, he spied his horse galloping towards him in the distance. His heart sank; she would never reach him in time. Worse still he felt his pace beginning to flag. His breath was coming in raged gasps and he knew he was starting to slow down. The riders were almost on top of him. The mad desire to escape and fear of being captured spurred him on but deep down he knew he wouldn't make it. Surprisingly, that knowledge only served to make him more desperate and determined. He promised himself he would make it to his horse.

A haughty looking soldier with sharp features and a handlebar moustache rode up alongside him. His steed was faster than the rest of his troop and had outdistanced them. The crazy man launched himself off his horse in a tackle dive and Link was knocked to the ground as he and the soldier rolled in the dust. When the roll stopped Link found himself on the top and tried to make a run for it again but the guard grabbed his boot. He half turned and kicked with his other foot catching the man square in the jaw. The guard let go and fell backwards. Link quickly got to his feet and tried to make a dash for it but his path was cut off. During the scuffle, the soldiers had dismounted and they had formed a ring around him.

Trapped; he wheeled frantically around and spied a weakness in their ring. He made for it but he was tackled before he reached it. For the second time that month he found himself in the compromising position of being held between two guards. He struggled madly to escape.

The fat commander walked up to him his head held high in an arrogant manner. His eyes were small, dark, and rather close together. This gave him a slightly shifty look. His clothes were over-fine and beard was fastidiously trimmed.

He stopped a few feet in front of Link and smiled in a most off-putting manner as he spoke.

"Well if it isn't the illusive outlaw traitor."

The portly knight reached out his ungloved hand as if to grab Link by his face. Link couldn't help himself, he snapped at the guard's chubby fingers. The fat knight drew his hand back indignantly.

"You evil barbarian!" He yelled furiously "I'll teach you to try and bite me."

He raised his large foot and kicked, aiming for Link's middle. The blow was poorly executed and Link was able to block the blow with his leg.

While the knight was struggling to regain his balance, Link took complete advantage of the fact that his legs were free and kicked the knight in his blubbery belly. This knocked him completely of balance and he fell in an undignified manner to land on his oversized rump. His face turned red with embarrassment and rage as some of his solders chuckled slightly or tried to hide their laughter.

The knight leaped to his feet hastily and uncoiled his whip as he spoke.

"I think we should have a bit of fun with this one, don't you boys?" He called to soldiers; "turn him around so we can teach him his place." the two soldiers holding Link turned him so his back was to the knight.

"Nobody makes a fool out of me!" The knight shouted angrily.

Link flinched as he heard the whip crack behind him.

"I'm sorry Sir," he said in a bitingly courteous manner, "but I am afraid it is impossible for me to make you anything other than what you already are. If you look like a fool it is your own fault, not mine."

He heard the knight growling angrily, as once again, some of his solders tried to hold back their laughter. 'They must not like their commander much,' he thought wryly.

"Why you impertinent scoundrel, I think you need a long lesson in manners!" the fat knight yelled furiously. "I think that tunic is to fine for you boy."

"You!" he called to one of his soldiers, "tear it off him."

Because he was turned away from the knight, he had an unobstructed view of the plains. His horse was very close now galloping at top speed. He felt a glimmer of hope rising within him.

A soldier went to do his masters bidding and tried to rip off Link's tunic so his back would be unprotected against the whip. Unfortunately for the guard, Link was making it rather difficult, he would not hold still. The guard, having enough of this, raised a fist to strike him. At that moment Epona reached the ring of guards. She, sensing that her master was in danger, gave a maddened whinny and charged into the ranks of the unsuspecting soldiers. Her wild charge spooked half of their horses and caused chaos. Link took advantage of the moment and knocked over the two guards holding him.

Epona was attacking her master's enemies with her massive hoofs and teeth. During her attack she trod upon the fat knights foot, and he, howling with pain, lashed out at her with the whip. Link had never used a whip on his horse so this made her lose her temper completely. Neighing angrily she charged towards the surprised knight. Once she reached him she stopped delicately in front of him and daintily kicked her front hoof into his flabby torso and knocked him flat on his back. Snorting in his face she turned around almost primly to go and help her master, who had almost fought free of all the confused soldiers.

Link fought like mad, dodging, weaving, and throwing punches whenever the opportunity presented itself. He kept up his onslaught until there was only one guard left blocking his path to freedom. He ducked under that soldier's sword as he made a slash at him, and while he was down low he kicked the soldier's feet out from under him. When he was free from the bewildered tangle he made a dash for it. Epona caught up with him and he mounted her, fairly leaping into the saddle, and they speed off.

The few soldiers, whose horses had not bolted, tried to peruse but Link had a head start, and despite her large size, Epona was faster than any of their steeds.

Link hid out near the canyons until it was about sunset. Then he emerged from his hiding spot and began to backtrack to the place where the former guard and his family had been climbing the cliff. He was relatively sure that the soldiers had cleared out by this time.

Along the way he stopped to get a drink from a cool stream, he needed it and so did his horse. A pool of still water stood nearby and he could not help but glance at his reflection. He scowled at what he saw; he still had the very faint marks of bruises and contusions from his fateful encounter.

To a casual observer they would be almost indiscernible but to him they were all too visible. He tossed a rock into the water to disturb the stillness as he rose. How had it come to this, how could everything change in a matter of seconds?' he wondered bitterly. He got up and headed for the cliff edge. As soon as he reached it he applied himself to the task of scaling the treacherous sandstone. He was glad that the guard had not tried to climb a wall that was any higher otherwise this would be really difficult. His muscles were protesting at the climb; and that buffoon of a soldier, who had jumped on him, had woken up some of his old bruises, and probably gave him some new ones.

He had no real desire to see Chefra again but he wanted his sword back. Once he scrambled over the ledge sighs of relief and some happy cheers from the children met his ears.

"You made it lad," the former guard called out happily grinning madly as he rose, "I thought you were a goner. How did you escape?"

He made as if to embrace Link as he walked over. Link rigidly sidestepped his greeting and the old soldier put his arms down.

'I think that I have had quite enough contact with you,' Link thought to himself as he eyed the soldier, 'enough to last me at least a lifetime.' Aloud he said nothing.

Chefra awkwardly cleared his throat before he spoke, "I suppose you want your sword back, it is a fine blade."

The guard handed it back to him hilt first. Link felt cold and angry as he reached for it His heart felt almost as if it were made from stone. These new emotions made him ashamed. He did not want to feel this way, so he smiled at the guard as he took his sword back. The fact that Chefra could even touch his blade meant he was not truly evil at heart, because evil could not touch the master sword. Though, at the moment, Link did not quite agree with his sword. Chefra, obviously knowing the swords reputation, had carefully wrapped it in cloth so as not to risk direct contact with the powerful blade, but not even that precaution would have protected him if her were evil.

There was a long uncomfortable silence before Link finally spoke. "That fat knight who was after you will most likely regret attacking you, my horse trampled him," he told them with a half smile.

The guard and his family laughed, and Link turned to leave. He cringed as the guard lightly touched his shoulder. He tuned to face the old campaigner the tension between them was almost tangible. Cherfa gave him a pleading look as he spoke.

"I don't believe you were ever a traitor," he said softly; "please accept my thanks; this is twice now you have saved my family." He was silent for a moment before he spoke again, "there is no excuse for what I did and I know that, but If you could find it within your heart, please forgive me."

The cold wall around Link's heart seemed to melt, and all his anger died like water put on a fire. Turning to Chefra he simply nodded his head.

"It's late," the guard's wife said. "Would you like to stay with us tonight?"

"Thank you, but I should be going," he said quietly as headed towards the ledge. He heard a light patter of feet behind him and felt someone lightly tug at the hem of his tunic. Turning he saw the little girl he had saved.

"Thank you for rescuing me," she said shyly, gazing at him admiringly with her large dark eyes.

"You welcome," he said softly, smiling at her. He turned and slipped over the ledge and started to climb down to his horse. As he climbed down he heard the younger of the two girls speak, "Why doesn't golden sky eyes want to stay with us?"

"His name isn't golden sky eyes it's Link." he heard Chefra correct his child. "He doesn't want to stay because he has something he wants to do," he added quietly in an unconvinced manner.

"His name should be golden sky eyes cause he got golden hair and twilight sky blue eyes," he heard the child protest, "I like him," she continued. "Will he come again another time?"

Link smiled to himself for a short moment as he reached the ground. 'Golden sky eyes' he muttered shaking his head. 'Well at least it was an improvement on traitor scum,' he thought humorlessly. He was not angry with the guard he realized; he was angry at Zelda and angry at himself. He was angry at Zelda for betraying him, and he was angry at himself because his feelings were in a tangled muddle. He knew that hatred and revenge were opposite the way of an honorable warrior, so why then did he constantly find himself entertaining those thoughts.

He patted Epona's mussel as he spoke softly to her.

"I have no idea what I am going to do with myself, any ideas?"

Epona looked at him solemnly with her large intelligent eyes and whinnied softly as she nuzzled him.

"My beautiful girl," he whispered "you have saved my life twice so far, I don't know how I can ever thank you. Some sugar or carrots perhaps?" he asked with a grin.

She snuffled and nudged him hard in the spot that he usually put his sugar cubes, apples, or carrots.

"Ok, ok, I'll take that as a yes. Stop it," he laughed pushing her questing nose away, as she almost knocked him over in her eagerness, "I don't have anything on me now, but I'll get it."

If a horse could ever be said to look huffy, then Epona was managing it.

"Promise," he said and she settled down and tossed her main with what could almost be considered acceptance. He mounted her and they trotted off into the night together.

"It's a good thing that we both dislike pompous maniacs with whips," he murmured, "that dislike might just end up keeping us alive."

~**x**~**X**~**x**~

"You, a band of some of my best fighters, got yourself beaten, defeated by a boy, an unarmed boy. Even worse, you did not catch the deserter! You are all miserable failures! This had better not happen again." Zelda berated her soldiers with the harsh words that the Empress dictated her to speak.

She had to scold her soldiers with an imposing scowl, although on the inside she was laughing. Link was alive and had bested and escaped from an entire cavalry of soldiers all without a weapon. The Empress had obviously not knocked the fight out of him. To make matters even better her favorite guard had also gotten away. She was rather proud of Chefra for finally standing up for his conscience and defying her. What had happened to Link had caused a few soldiers to question her. She silently hoped all of her soldiers would question her. If everyone turned against her, her evil puppet master would lose everything.

Then the realization of reality smashed through her momentary happiness, shattering it into pieces. She knew that the Empress was too smart to make a stupid mistake like that. What if there was a reason behind her cruelty? What if her sadistic pleasures had a method? As Zelda thought on it she realized that so far, the people she had singled out were pretty influential. Zelda had an awful feeling of foreboding. Now that the Empress knew Link was alive she would probably exploit that to her advantage. Based on how things were going Zelda suspected that the most logical move for the Empress to make to reach her goal would be to pit everyone against each other. She had, Zelda recalled, said something about civil wars. Zelda shuddered and had to resist the urge to bury her head in her hands. She shuddered to think of all the suffering that could come from this and all because of one person's power lust and cruel pleasure in playing games with other peoples' lives. It was sickening.

* * *

**So did you like it? Poor Zelda! She can't do anything or else villagers will die *gasp***

**Question:**

**What is your favorite Zelda item in the whole series?**


	8. Resistance

**A/N: **How was your Easter and April Fool's? Mine was awesome! Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are so nice!

**MiniJen:** Thank you, that's so sweet of you to say. Epona is the best horse EVER! I love her. Yep you don't have to say why you like the bow, because we all know that it is epic!

**Gojira Geek: **Who wouldn't want four little Links running about? Clawshots are awesome!

**miano53: **Why get close to an enemy when you can snipe them? :D, I love the part were you have to snipe in Twilight Princess.

**ClarkyGirl: **HAHAHAHA! I wish I could have seen that!

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony: **Thank you, me and my sister thought about what we wanted to happen and planned it out so we wouldn't have writers block, I hope it keeps your interest! Don't we all want to strangle the Empress!

**Mortal Draw: **Crushing enemys with the ball-n-chain is awesome!

**Fatal Strike: **I love the huge quiver that holds 100 arrows, the double clawshots and the Master Sword.

* * *

**Resistance**

About a month later the people were in an uproar about the harsh new laws the princess was enforcing. She had heightened security; under the excuse that it was needed to defend against the traitor and his army. She put her soldiers all over Hyrule to enforce the law and defense. She had even placed a curfew on the towns and villages, placing soldiers to enforce this as well. Consequently, all the added security cost a lot of money to keep up, leading to heightened taxes for the villagers. The poor were already starting to suffer and anyone who spoke out got severely punished. Anyone who did something that was even slightly rebellious or against the new laws was dealt with severely. So far, no one had dared to speak up directly to the princess except for Ashei of the Resistance. She was never one to keep silent when she had something on her mind. She was arrested and frog-marched out of Castle Town to be flogged as a traitor.

Link heard of this and decided that he did not want anyone getting hurt or killed for falsified charges of treachery. The guards escorting Ashei to the place of punishment got an unwelcome surprise when they found all ten of their company under attack by a single green clad warrior wearing a mottled brown cloak and hood, who was not older than seventeen.

He attacked them with smoke bombs made from a volcanic mountain growing plant. The area became covered with the noxious cloud. When it finally cleared Ashei was gone. Soon after this the Resistance found themselves as wanted criminals due to their open opposition of some of the new laws and treatment of citizens. They escaped to go seek out Link in his hiding spots. Shortly after the Resistances escape a very small number of the castles solders, fed up with unfair orders and treatment, deserted and sought out Link.

Even a few of the poorest villagers joined up with him, having to choose between a life as an outlaw or imprisonment for not being able to pay so many taxes or abide by the new laws.

The vast majority of the people, however, stayed loyal to Zelda, and this group despised the outlaws and in particular the traitor who, in their opinion, had caused all of their problems. They believed that their lives were threatened by the former hero and his army of outlaws and darkness. This group saw the added security as a necessity to keep them safe from attack and to root out any of his remaining allies.

The kingdom of Hyrule was slowly dividing into two groups, three if one counted the people who had no desire to take sides.

Link was painfully aware that the main reason that the whole situation had blown up to be so big was because of the fame that he often wished he had never acquired. It was easier for the people to get riled up when the situation had to do with the warrior hero who saved the kingdom from destruction and their ruler, two of the most respected and well known people in the kingdom. If he was still just a random village farmer no one would have cared at all.

'Yet another problem that came from making a name for one self' he thought miserably.

He was also aware that gathering all the political opposition to the princess in one spot was a dangerous thing to be doing but he saw no better option. When they were together they could help provide for each other aiding in all of their survival. The number of rebels had reached about twenty strong, and was slowly growing.

Although Link never put himself in the position of, or formally gave himself the title of leader, he seemed to be considered that by all the people who had joined up with him. Most of them looked towards him for encouragement and advice since he had been the first to be banished, and he was once known as one of the greatest warriors in all of Hyrule. However, in the band of rebels he treated everyone as equals. He never had any desire to be a ruler of any sort. Consequently the outlaw band became more like a democracy. Although on the rare occasions when he did give a direct order the people would obey without question.

Although he was no longer alone, and surrounded by people who also shared his viewpoints and misfortune, some of his old friends were still loyalists and believed the lies and despised him. So even though the bruises on his person had healed, the ones on his pride and his honor had not. He did not want to be a rebellions leader, he did not want to accent the fact that he was working outside of the law, but what could he do. He couldn't stand by and let innocent people get hurt. Like it or not he was an outlaw and a rebel working against the very person he used to call friend. It was as if all the work he had done to save the kingdom during Ganondorf's takeover had been for nothing.

It had to be admitted though, that for him, there was a sort of mischievous pleasure in outwitting guards and soldiers while hiding right under their noses. He outwitted and outfought many of these soldiers and due to this and disturbing the peace, he even had a bounty on his head.

Sometimes when he was alone he found his thoughts wandering towards Zelda, an uncomfortable topic, he sometimes wondered at her sudden change. He assumed that she had acted so cruelly because she thought he had betrayed her. He could easily understand how much it hurt to be betrayed by a friend, although that was a still a sad excuse for her actions. Maybe, he realized miserably, her power had finally gotten to her and the lust for more and the fear of losing the power she had had caused her to change. Everyone had seen her pitiless behavior and he had felt it. Perhaps she had set him up, perceiving that he posed some sort of threat to her. The tale she was weaving now was like that of any other tyrant. What was really sad was that Zelda he used to know was not a tyrant, but then he realized neither was Ganon or Zant until they let power lust corrupt them. The truth was he did not know quite what to think. All he knew was that it was painful to think anything at all about it, painful and infuriating.

Spring was officially over and the Resistance spent the first day of summer discussing their situation. Their conversation soon led to the topic of Zelda and the matter of what should be done about her.

"She has abused her power. If she is no longer capable of ruling according to our old customs and the rights of our people, then I suggest new leadership is needed," Ashei told the Resistance at their meeting.

"But that would bring us to a civil war," Link protested, "that could lead to more harm than good."

"If that's the way it has to be then so be it," Ashei retorted. "Almost everyone here thinks the same. We have already tried to peacefully negotiate and look where it has gotten us. I would think that you of all people would understand this, or have you forgotten what she did to you?" Ashei asked none too gently. "How she left you as beast bait on the flatland after she-"

"I will never forget," he snapped, rather harsher than he meant to.

He felt his face grow red with embarrassment and shame at his uncontrolled outburst. "I just think that there might be a better way to go about it," he added in a more controlled manner and in a quieter tone.

The other members of the Resistance seemed to agree.

"You had better think of that better way soon," Rusl told Link after the meeting. "We are running out of time."

This was true and Link knew it. As the number of outlaws grew their safety dwindled. Twenty people were a lot harder to conceal than one. There were soldiers and self proclaimed bounty hunters scouring the kingdom to find them and if, or when they did, it could have disastrous consequences.

* * *

**So how was it? To short? Can't wait for the next chapter to find out what happens next?**

**QUESTION:**

**Who is your favorite companion?**


	9. An Enemy's Revenge

**A/N:** I could not help but put up two chapters this week since chapter 8 was so ridiculously short. I finished my homework early so I had a little bit of free time, and that coupled with an inability to fall asleep last night brought about an extra chapter. I realize it would be rather irksome to only get a few hundred words in exchange for waiting a week for an update. I thank you all for your time and reviews, it makes ridiculously happy and smile like this :D through-out the day.

**Guest-** Wow, thanks for pointing that out, it was rather impolite of me to misuse my homophones, sorry about that. I did not even realize they were there. I'll fix it as soon as I can.

**ClarkyGirl-** Green outfit blond hair fugitive from the law hiding in the woods *gasp* It must be Robin Hood. :P

**Generala-** Zelda has not made a slip up yet (but perhaps in the future). Yup, poor Link is in a mess at the moment. Interesting character parallel, I never thought of that until you mentioned it.

**AnimeMaster- **Hehe… All of them! Thank you!

**XxFirecrackerxX-** Thank you for all your awesome reviews, (and Link is my guy I saw him first Jk) *puts finger to lips and pantomimes silence* you're not supposed to be yelling in the library, though that is awesome.

**7he Goddess Din-** Thanks, I did try to make the characters as accurate as possible, which is a bit subjective because it's based on my own interpretations, but I'm glad you approve. Bounty hunters are epic.

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony**- Hyenas can cackle, maybe wolves can as well 0_0

And, thank you **Victoria-BlackHeart** and **MiniJen**

* * *

** An Enemy's Revenge **

The remains of last year's fallen leaves and a few dried pine needles crunched lightly under Link's feet as he walked through the woods. The outlaw's supply of heeling herbs was running low as well as their food supply, because he had extensive knowledge of woodland plants he had offered to help organize a foraging party.

He had tramped around the woods for hours and he finally slung a full sack of the gathered supplies over the shield on his back. It looked as if they would be having wild onion and leek soup yet again, at least this time there would be a little bit of fish to give it more flavor.

It had taken him quite a while to spear that fish with his sword. His fishing rod was back in Ordon and it was unsafe to go there. It was a good sized fish, about eighteen inches, but no one would get much because there were many mouths to feed. It was then he came across a small meadow that had at least five hares bounding about the grass and clovers, munching the plants in an idle manner.

'If only I had my bow,' he thought miserably, but he had unfortunately left it behind at camp. He was a bit low on weaponry and useful tools today. However, he still knew of a way he might be able to catch one of the rabbits. In a flash he had taken out his Twilight Shard and had transformed into a wolf. It would be relatively easy to catch a rabbit this way. After some stalking and chasing he managed to get one.

He was about to take his kill back to where he had hidden his sword, behind a low standing grove of trees, when Telma trudged into the clearing and sat down with a tired sigh on a nearby log. He dropped the rabbit and tried to crouch low; but she had seen him.

She gasped quietly and started to draw her dagger. Her face went pale with fear. Link, thinking quickly, crouched low in a submissive pose with his rump in the air and wagged his tail, yipping happily, mimicking the behavior of a dog.

Telma started in surprise "Well you're a friendly wolf are you?"

Link padded over and rolled onto his back before her feet. He gave her a huge doggy smile with his tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth in an exited pant. From his slightly upside-down position, he curled his raised front paws by his nose and fixed her with his widest, most innocent puppy dog eyes until her expression softened completely. Righting himself, he sat in front of her and stuck his paw out as if he were shaking hands.

"A wolf with manners, eh?" She said as she grasped his paw. "Well that's a nice surprise. I have never seen a friendly wolf before and it is plainly obvious you are no dog. I wonder who you belong to," she mused softly. "You have the strangest marking on your head my friend but that is not as strange as your eyes. I have never seen a wolf with dark blue eyes. Don't look at me like that," she said with a laugh, "you look so sad and forlorn with those big eyes of yours, yet they also look wild and brave too."

Link licked her hand lightly, hoping she had washed them recently.

"You remind me of a boy I know. He has eyes that are very similar to yours. I am actually looking for him right now. You haven't seen him around have you? He has ashy golden hair, and he wears the colors of the forest. He said he would be foraging in this direction. I wanted to ask him whether he knew if these mushrooms I found are edible or not."

Link looked at the mushrooms she brought out from her apron. They were large with red brown caps and sponge-like gills and they had an earthy scent to them. He could tell that they were the mushrooms known as porcini or sometimes cep from the bolete family. Those mushrooms were not only edible they were actually quite tasty. They were some of his favorite mushrooms. Unfortunately he could not tell her any of this information in his current form so he merely blinked at her whilst waging his tail.

"Knowing me I probably picked a bunch of poisonous ones," she complained. "Hunting and foraging are not my strong suit. This outlaw life is probably going to end up being the death of me, what with the poisonous plants and soldiers. I am not much of a woods-wife. In fact I grew up in the…"

Link was interested in hearing more but he felt his hackles rise and a growl start to rumble deep in his canine throat. He knew something was amiss. His canine senses had picked up the scent and sound of danger. He stood in front of Telma growling at the rustling brush in front of them, in the opposite direction of his hidden sword.

"Whatever is the matter?" Telma asked concerned but then she too directed her attention to the rattling foliage as if she had just heard became aware of the ominous racket.

As she and Link watched, five fully armored soldiers walked into view. There were two archers, two swordsmen, and a certain fat whip wielding knight that Link had seen before. This time along with his whip he carried two other weapons, an immense broadsword, and a battle spiked flail. Both of these were tucked into his belt, the whip he held in his hand. The fat knight gave a shout and quick as a flash his soldiers had formed a ring around Link and Telma.

Telma drew her wide curved dagger and picked up a long straight chunk of wood from the ground. She held it in her other hand like a quarterstaff. Her large form was making for quite an imposing figure. Link stood in front of her growling and snarling ferociously.

"Well if it isn't a member of the traitorous Resistance. If you show us where the outlaw's camp is we won't hurt you," the knight said coldly with an unpleasant smile.

"I would rather die than show you anything. I would fight you all to the death, and before you yeasty cowards even ask, I will never surrender," Telma cried boldly.

Despite her older age, Link was quite sure she was capable of carrying out her threats.

"Is that so?" the fat knight asked. "Well then, it looks as if we will have to get the information out of you the hard way. I have a duty to my princess and my kingdom to keep them safe from traitors like you, and I have a score to settle with you leader. Men attack! But remember, I want her alive."

The ring of soldiers closed in on Telma and Link. Telma clubbed a swordsman over the head with her staff as he charged her front and Link jumped on the one who attacked from behind. He was having a hard time finding a spot to sink his teeth into because of the soldier's thick armor, but finally he found a week spot just above the swordsman's gauntlet. The soldier dropped his sword and fell to the ground screaming with pain and terror.

"Get the wolf," he heard the fat knight screech, "kill the wolf!"

Link heard the bullwhip crack and saw it coming towards him. He let go of the swordsman and tried to dodge it but he couldn't get out of the way in time completely. He yelped with pain as the whip slashed into his shoulder.

"Archers shoot the wolf!"

The two archers bent back their bows and Link, sensing impending doom, dashed into the woods towards his hidden sword as arrows whizzed past him uncomfortably close. Telma screamed angrily as she was she was overwhelmed by combined force of the knights as a few more, alerted by the sounds of battle, joined their captain.

Link reached his hidden weapons, stuck out his paw and touched his sword. Once he was back to his normal form he grabbed his sword and shield and turned to run back to help Telma. Running off to fight a troop of soldiers who already had a hostage was pure suicide and he knew it. However, based on his previous encounter with fat soldier he knew of a particular weakness he might be able to exploit, namely, his pride. He mentally prepared himself before he stepped into the clearing, sword and shield at the ready.

"Let her go!" he yelled as he came into view. All the guards abruptly stopped tying up Telma to gawk at his brashness.

"I have a better idea," the fat knight sneered, "give yourself up, or she dies."

Link laughed, "Oh I see, you want me to give myself up peacefully because you are too cowardly to face me one on one. Judging by your display of skill last time we met you have a right to be so. I don't believe you have ever fought a one on one match in your life."

The soldiers in the fat knight's command looked directly at their captain. The looks they gave him seemed to confirm Link's supposition.

"Even now you are too afraid to fight someone less than half your size and half you age," Link challenged with a smirk.

Now the challenge was out in the open Link knew the knight had to accept it or he would lose face in front of his men, something his pride would not allow. Also, he commanded his soldiers by fear and if his men lost their respect for him then he would lose his power. His soldiers were still looking expectantly towards their leader, waiting to see what he would do.

"Foolish boy," The fat knight yelled furiously, "you will not last more than a minute against me. I will face you one on one and you will lose. You two," he pointed at the archers, "guard the prisoner." He barked a command to the other soldiers and they lined up on the side of the field.

"Come and face me boy," he said as he cracked his whip with his left hand and drew his enormous broadsword with his right. "Your previous escape made me lose face and go down in rank. I would like nothing more than to face you in combat and bring you in. Once I defeat you I will take great pleasure in flaying your hide with my whip, and when I carry your beaten body back to the princess, who knows, she might want to have a go with it as well. Judging by what happened to you last time she saw you I am sure she enjoys hearing your screams as much as I do."

Although Link tried not to let them, the knight's words stung him like a blow. He quivered with fury. Screaming an enraged battle cry, he charged the knight at full speed.

The fat knight, Arscair, immediately regretted bating the boy as soon as Link raced towards him in a fury of anger, bloodlust lighting his eyes. Arscair found himself desperately parrying the fighting whirlwind that was Link. He was absolutely terrified.

In about five parries Link was able to knock the immense sword out of Arscair's hand. The knight immediately took out his spiked flail and tried to hold Link back by swinging it skillfully with his whip. Link dodged all of his attempts with graceful ease and agility. Then Arscair swung downwards with them both at once, Link leapt to the side and landed in a fast side roll around the knight. He leapt up and slashed hard at the plate armor on the knights back before Arsciar could turn to parry. The force of his blow knocked Arscair of balance and he fell to the ground in a face plant dropping his weapons. He tried to roll over onto his back, as fast as his bulk would allow him, but it was not quick enough. Link put a foot on his chest and pointed his sword at his throat.

"Let Telma go or I will kill you," he said in a quiet yet forceful voice.

It was a bluff. He would never kill an unarmed man not even one as cruel and heartless as this one, but the portly supercilious fool beneath his foot did not have to know that. He was gratified to see Arsciar's eyes widen with terror.

The solders, when they saw that there leader was in danger, sprang into action. One of the archers let go of Telma drew his bow and took aim.

"Link!" Telma yelled desperately. Link leaped out of the way of the arrow just in time. Then the whole line of soldiers charged him. Link barely had enough time to parry the charge and he found himself in the middle of a one on six battle. In normal combat circumstances the odds wouldn't have been a problem. He had often fought and won severely outnumbered battles against monsters, but this was different. These were actually people, knights no less, and he had no desire to kill or even wound any of them. With a bit of difficulty, he managed to knock out two of them, and one of them had run away. There were only three left to oppose him.

Telma had taken advantage of the situation as soon as one of the archers had let go of her to shoot at Link. She had knocked that one down and was in the middle of choking the other with his own bow string, when she saw Arscair rise to his feet. He headed directly towards Link's unprotected back as the young green-clad warrior fought against the three remaining soldiers.

The three soldiers simultaneously lunged at him. Link kicked one down sidestepped the other and was in the middle of a sword grind with the third when he heard a warning cry from Telma. At the same time he heard a bullwhips crack. He gave a strangled cry as the tip of the whip wound around his neck, and he was yanked backwards towards the fat knight.

He turned around quickly and gasped for breath as he tried to loosen the cruel leather lash. He was mere feet away from Arscair and he desperately slashed at the taught whip with his sword to try and sever it from the knights grasp. At that exact moment Arscair, with a wicked grin on his face, remembered something helpful to his cause. He swung his flail towards a particular spot on Link's torso as his whip was slashed apart by the youth's blade. Link tried to dodge the flail but was milliseconds too slow. The tail end of the blow hit him right on his burn scar. He cried out with pain as he fell to the ground. Immediately the fat knight kicked him to his back and put a huge leather booted foot on his chest and pressed hard.

Link gasped painfully as he felt the crushing pressure of Arscair's weight. He looked desperately towards his sword that had fallen out of his grasp. It was just out of reach. The knight raised his flail with a sneer as he prepared to bring it down hard.

Quick as a flash Link pulled out his dagger from the side of his belt. He drew and stabbed hard through the leather of the knight's boot with one lightning fast fluid motion. As the knight screamed with agony, Link pushed his enormous foot off of him. Link rolled over and held himself with his hands, spun his leg around and kicked Arscair's feet out from under him. His foe fell to the ground with a jarring thud. Link leaped to his feet and unwound the whip from his neck and lashed out with it as the knight tried to swing his flail from his prone position. Link caught the knight on his weapon hand and dealt him several blows, catching him once hard in the face. The knight dropped his flail but Link took no notice. Lost in a fury of anger, Link kept up his barrage. The once mighty knight started blubbering with pain and terror.

His last two conscious solders ran for it when they saw that there leader had been defeated, assuming they would be next.

"Mercy," The stout knight cried out between tears, "please, mercy!"

Link, shaking slightly with rage, flung the whip away in disgust, "I suggest you run for it before I change my mind!"

The fat knight got to his feet as fast as he could and half limped half ran back the way he had come. The two running soldiers paid no attention to their disgraced leader and soon outdistanced him.

As soon as they all were out of sight Link sank to the ground, a miserable expression on his face, rubbing his neck with one hand and cradling his side with the other.

"Link Honey," Telma exclaimed as she ran towards him, "are you hurt?"

Link shook his head, "not really, but you see what I just did? I have made myself little better than they are," his glance fell on the broken whip. "I completely lost my head and struck him when he was down and weaponless."

Telma smiled as she stood over him, "Oh that's all that's bothering you is it? He simply got what was coming to him. I rather think he deserved it; he needed to be taken down a peg or six. Besides, you have struck down bulblins and other creatures like that before."

"Yes, but those were just mindless evil creatures that lived for nothing but murder and causing pain. He was a knight of Hyrule, one of us."

"Honey, based on the way he was talking that man does not deserve the title of knight. Do you think he would have shown you mercy if he had won and you had pleaded for him to stop? I don't think so. If I were you I would have hit him more and harder too."

"That still doesn't excuse what I did; the last thing I want is to be like them."

She shook her head with a sigh as she laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue. You're a regular old knight in shining armor. How did you know I needed some help? You're bleeding!" she exclaimed as she pulled her hand back from his shoulder.

"Oh I cut myself on a tree branch when I was fishing," Link lied about the cut the knight's whip had given him when he was in wolf form before he answered her question. "I knew you needed help when my wolf ran to me acting strange so I followed him. That's when I saw you were in trouble," he explained lying again. He did not like lying to a friend but he could hardy tell her the truth.

"Honey, does your wolf have weird markings on its forehead?" Telma asked.

Link nodded, before his expression became serious.

"Telma," he said softly looking up at her with large eyes, "there is something really important that I need to tell you."

Telma looked at him gravely, thinking something was wrong. "What is it?" she asked softly.

Link grinned at her, "I am not a honey- I'm a dear."

"Why you cheeky… Alright I'll remember that honey-dear," she said chuckling.

"Oh, that's even worse that just plain 'honey'," Link said with a mock disgusted face.

When his side and neck stopped throbbing he stood and gathered his sack of herbs, food, and his rabbit and they left the unconscious soldiers behind.

When they got back to camp Link placed some herbs on the cut on his shoulder. It was not at all serious, and his chain-mail had protected him from the spikes on the flail. Ashei was on coking duty so he took the food and the rabbit to her.

"Where did you get this rabbit?" Ashei asked him suspiciously, "It has bite marks instead of arrow wounds."

"I found it on the side of the path," he replied with a cheeky grin.

"Ha, ha," Ashei replied unenthusiastically, "Where did you really get it?"

"Well," Link said with a smile, "I caught this rabbit with my bare hands but the darned thing was wriggling out of my grasp, so I bit it."

Ashei laughed, "I hope for everyone's sake that that was a lie, but knowing you it probably wasn't," She teased.

Link laughed with her as Telma joined them.

"Your wolf friend caught that for you didn't he?" Telma asked.

Link nodded as Ashei exclaimed, "You have a pet wolf? I want to see it."

"Next time he finds me I will show him to you," Link said, not having the heart to tell her that it would never happen because he was his own pet wolf.

He looked at the hustle and bustle of the outlaw camp. People who were trying to be helpful and stay busy were milling about doing what they could to make life a bit easier for their fellow 'traitor.' Link sat near a tree trunk, the adventure of the day had proven that the soldiers of Hyrule were still searching for their hideout. They would never find it though. Link had chosen the place well, it was almost as inaccessible as the lost woods so he doubted that city born soldier would ever find it. Also they were constantly on the move switching from this hide out to one actually in the lost woods when the soldiers movements were getting a bit too close to either one. He knew his way through the lost woods very well having been through them a number of times. If worse came to worse they could hide in the desert canyons the land near Zora mountain or even Snowpeak and the mountains behind Ordon.

* * *

**Are you glad that I am an insomniac? I hope you like this chapter!**

**QUESTION:**

**What is your top 5-10 favorite Zelda Bosses?**


	10. To Disobey an Order

This is the first chapter of a sort of "four chapter arc" I know it is a bit short but that's just the way it has to be for it to flow nicely. Link has been gradually coming to terms with how things are, but he is not exactly going to 'get over it' any time soon. My focus for this chapter (and a bit of the next) is more or less the idea of putting up a brave face for the sake of those around one and one's self and the idea of friends and family being able to poke fun at each other without getting offended. (there may or may not be an Ashei and Link adventure and something to do with rescues and bounties) But I have already said too much now he he (my bad) I hope you like it. I feel truly honored to have so many readers.

**MiniJen**- thank you, that makes me feel rather pleased with myself, I have read many fight scenes in which it was hard to follow too short or long and I tried my best not to make any mistakes like that. I had the idea in my head sort of like a movie and I tried by best to describe it in such a way that my readers could see it too. I'm glad you liked it.

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony**- Hi Jenna-bear (Jk) :P Yeah Telma is awesome, thank you for your review by the way, it made me smile. I would say you look great in a Ryan Seacrest outfit but I probably went too far already with my first statement already. :D

**CuriosityCat**- Awww shucks, I never been inspirational before :D hope you had fun wrestling Gorons. Thanks for your time and review!

Thank you to **Generala**, **James Birdsong, xXx skytale xXx** , **Gojira Geek, **and** xXfirecrackerXx. **I loved your comments and finding out your favorite bosses. I personally cannot decide which ones I like the best(lazy answer I know but I can't help it. : )

Oh, and cousin, if you use my account one more time I will rip you limb from limb, or feed you to the Empress : )

* * *

** To Disobey an Order**

A couple days later, Link found himself relaxing against a tall oak tree. It was his turn for hunting duty and he was quietly waiting for prey. His green tunic and brown cloak helped him blend in well with the surrounding forest. He had an arrow casually notched to his bowstring so he could be ready to fire at a moment's notice.

There was a quiet rustling in the brush ahead of him and he brought his bow into firing position hoping for something nice to eat for dinner. The rustling became louder and he took aim. He sighted down his arrow shaft as he waited for his quarry to break free of the cover of the brush. With a crash his prey broke through the foliage and stumbled into view.

"Rusl," he exclaimed exasperated. "What are you doing sneaking around the hunting grounds? I almost shot you."

Rusl motioned for silence and Link obliged willingly and the two took cover in some nearby bracken.

"There are some soldiers lurking about these woods," Rusl explained in a low whisper.

"I still think it is not the smartest thing to sneak around where you know someone is hunting." Link teased when they were sure it was safe to speak again. "Surly you did not come all the way here to offer yourself up as the main course."

"I most certainly did not!" Rusl replied smiling, "I wouldn't taste good anyway."

"Yeah, that's probably true now that I think about it," Link said making a face, "tough and tasteless."

"I'm going to forget I heard that," Rusl said with a mock glare before he sobered, "I came here to tell you of an urgent matter."

Rusl was silent for a moment and Link waited patiently for him to continue. "Talo's family had problems paying their tax and all of them have been arrested."

Talo and his family lived in Ordon and they were good friends of both Link and Rusl.

"Why didn't they ask for help?" Link complained. "I am sure we could have figured something out."

"You know Talo's father, he was too proud to ask for it."

"All of them are captured?" Link asked worriedly.

"All of them except for Talo's little brother Malo. He was at his apprenticeship in CastleTown at the time. You have not heard the worst of it yet. The guards plan to make Talo endure some public punishment, as a lesson to the public and especially his family."

Link jumped to his feet angrily. Talo was Colin's age about ten. To do something like that to a child was disgustingly low. Although Talo and Colin were near in age, the two were very different. Colin was more like a brother that was ones best friend and Talo was more like an annoying brother. Despite that fact Link had become rather attached to the less than mannered Talo. Talo had always been supportive, in the way a child is, and he had always looked up to him. His mother and father were also good people. This was unfair and cruel.

"Exactly where do you think you're going?" Rusl asked in an authoritative tone.

"I am going to help them," Link said determinedly.

"Oh no you're not," Rusl informed him. "I did not tell you everything yet. On my way here I overheard some soldiers talking and they said that they are going to use Talo and his family for a double purpose, one is to teach the public a lesson and the other is to capture you. They have set a trap and Talo is the bait. Don't go off and do something you will regret later."

Link sat back down angrily, "is there no limit to how far she will lower herself," he muttered darkly. Aloud he said "there must be something we can do; we can't just sit here and do nothing."

"You _will_ sit here and do nothing. I think of you like my son and as such I am worried for your safety. If you have any sense at all you will not go. In fact I forbid you to go. Let Auru and I handle this one, alright?"

Link looked at Rusl's concerned face and then nodded.

That seemed to satisfy Rusl. "Auru and I are planning a meeting at sundown to decide on a course of action.

Link nodded again. There were about two hours left before sunset and Rusl offered to join Link in his hunt for supper, but it was a futile attempt. The sun was setting when they finally gave up. They trudged back to camp empty handed. The mood between them was discouraged, but not only because of their lack of game. Link looked up as Rusl broke the strained silence between them.

"Looks like we have no other choice but to have Rusl roast, made from awesome Ordonian, since we have no game to offer," he teased lightly trying to lighten the dark mood, though his attempt did nothing to make him want to smile.

"Yuck," Link said with grin, "you may think that you taste awesome, but in reality you are probably completely flavorless."

Rusl gave him a scathing glance.

"Impossible to chew," Link continued.

"Quit while you're behind," Rusl warned.

"Stringy."

"That does it!" Rusl exclaimed aiming a mock kick at Link's backside that he easily dodged.

He danced nimbly out of reach and fixed Rusl with a gleeful self-satisfied grin.

Rusl pursed his lips in annoyance before he spoke, "If you were still my apprentice I would make you run five miles then scrub all the dishes. Also, at least there would be meat if I was the main course. If we were to eat you there be nothing but skin and bones you scrawny noodle.

Link laughed and this time Rusl joined him. The two parted ways as they reached the camp. He watched as Rusl headed towards Auru and the two entered in an animated conversation. The nagging worry that he felt for Talo and his family returned. There was no doubt in his mind that something had to be done about it and he hoped that Rusl and Auru would come up with a successful plan.

~**x**~**X**~**x**~

Link slunk quietly out of camp. Although he had at first agreed that he would stay out of this matter, and in fact knew it would be smatter to stay out of it, his mind had changed when he had eavesdropped on Rusl and Auru's 'secrete' conversation to think up a plan. They had thought up the most utterly ridiculous and terrible plan, namely, to do absolutely nothing. They thought the risk was too great to pull off a successful rescue.

He knew he would be blatantly disobeying the person that was the closest thing he had to a father, but he did not believe doing nothing was an acceptable option. If Talo was being used as bait for his capture, then that made this whole mess inadvertently his fault. So, therefore, he felt it was his responsibility to fix it. He jumped as a female voice cut short his revelry.

"So you are turning into a regular outlaw aren't you? First you spy on Auru and Rusl's private conversation and then you sneak off like a common thief to do something you promised you wouldn't."

Link whirled around to see Ashei leaning nonchalantly against a tree. "Caught you," she smiled.

He felt the heat of a blush beginning on his features, before he hastily retorted. "This makes you twice the thief and outlaw I am, if you were spying on me whilst I was spying. Not to mention the fact that you were sneaking after someone who was already sneaking."

"That is quite beside the point," she said with a roguish smile.

Link raised his eyebrows incredulously. "It is?"

"Yes, because I am taking about your sneaky behavior at the moment not mine, yeah?"

'No' Link thought to himself as he raised his eyes skyward in an exasperated gesture. "And what exactly, may I ask, is the point?"

"The point is, I can't let you walk into a practically suicidal rescue mission without some backup," she smiled, her dark brown eyes twinkling with excitement. "besides," she continued, her smile fading, "everything we fought so hard for when Ganon came is gone now, and this might just show her highness that I am not just going to stand idly by as we lose our freedom. I am coming too and you can't stop me."

"I wouldn't dream of it," he said feeling a smile breaking out across his own face; "any help would be welcome."

He had no right to forbid someone from going on a mission he himself was forbidden from, and besides, he liked Ashei. She was a clever capable person. She was kind and adventurous, although she did have the somewhat annoying tendency to speak whatever was on her mind.

"That is what I like about you," she said happily, "you are not an uptight selfish adventure hog. I had to do tons of persuading to go on a quest with Auru, because he thinks that questing is dangerous for a young lady. You on the other hand don't seem to care, I like that. Where exactly are your friends being held prisoner?"

"Rusl told me that they are being held in Kakariko village. You do realize we are walking straight into a trap."

"Yep," she replied, "the greater the challenge the more I like it."

"I think that's what I like about you," Link smiled as they flitted from shadow to shadow.

~**x**~**X**~**x~**

Rusl had wanted to tell Link of the conclusion he and Auru had come up with and the reasons for their decision, but he couldn't seem to find him anywhere. He had asked around camp but no one had seen him. At first he though Link might have wandered off alone into the woods to think, like he often did when he was feeling bothered or upset, but he discarded that notion when he discovered that no one had seen him leave.

He headed towards Link's camping spot and something seemed wrong about it. In the shifting feeble light of the outlaws campfire Rusl could see that some of his former apprentice's gear was missing.

Rusl groaned inwardly as the realization of what had happened dawned on him.

"The foolish reckless boy," he muttered angrily.

"Make that foolish and reckless girl as well," Auru said as he walked up to join him. "Ashei is gone as too. They both gave me the impression of having a lot more sense than to run off and do something as dim-witted as this; I suppose I was wrong about that."

"I wonder what has gotten into them. This is the first time Link has ever blatantly disobeyed me on something this serious. They do not even know about the blockade," Rusl complained.

"It is my experience that teenagers often do things without thinking it completely through, and without taking the advice of others. Perhaps if we hurry we can catch them before they try anything foolhardy and get themselves hurt or worse," Auru said urgently.

The two seasoned warriors hurried off to go arm themselves and get some supplies in order. When they were ready they walked though the darkened forest in the direction of the canyon lands after the two reckless teenagers.

* * *

**I hope you liked it!**

**QUESTION:**

**What is your favorite TP pairing?**


	11. Rescue

**A/N-** Oh my gosh, 100 reviews never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get so much positive feedback. I don't believe even Ghirahim could get as many rainbows in his heart as I have in mine at the moment. (Not even if he managed to take out the Hero of Sky XD) Thank you guys soooo much for everything, you have all made my day or rather, week. When I first started writing I had some worries that no one would like it. I cannot thank you guys enough for your time and support. I shall send you all some metaphorical gratitude crystals. Thank you to all my readers.

**MiniJen**- Ashei is one of my favorite TP characters also, I hope this chapter meets with your expectations, Link and Ilia are cute.

**xXFireworkXx**- Ewww, worst meal ever XP. Thank you for your review. Please don't turn me in to your teachers for making you late with homework Jk. I agree with you, I think Ashei and Link would be epic partners.

**Generala**- Well if Link gets captured and taken to the castle than yes but if not then no, you shall just have to wait and see. As for your bad feeling, maybe you're a Jedi :P I think ShadxAshei would be cute, they are so different and yet they share the same ideals. I think Link and Midna would probably end up being more like best friends. I agree with you about Ilia. In the beginning of TP they were like the only ones their age who could be together, but when they both discovered how much bigger the world was, Idk maybe things could change. I personally think that their love would end up more like the love between a brother and a sister, but that's just me.

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony**- I'm sure you look positively epic. Thank you so much for your review, it was so encouraging. Wow, lots of Parings.

*instrumental fanfare: Da da da DAAAAA* you were my 100th reviewer, and the 100th person often gets a prize (don't ask me why because I don't know, but that is usually what happens) so as not to break with tradition I would like to offer you something from my meager talents, if you would like. I.E. I could write you a short story of your choosing, or I could give you one of the pictures I drew for this story or you could commission me for a picture of your choice, (LOZ related). (I sort of stalked your profile and discovered you like/want art, and I do have some skill as an artist. I am by no means a Monet or Georgia O'Keefe, but still. I am a sketch artist and my people drawing style is sort of similar to that used in Avatar: the Last Airbender.) PM me if anything appeals to you. Thank you :D

**xXx skytale xXx**- Thanks for your reviews they always make me smile.

Thank you to **xXFirecrackerXx,** **Miano53,** and **Gojira Geek**, you guys are awesome

I loved reading about all for favorite parings, I am more of a Zelink shipper myself, but I don't mind reading about LinkxAshei or perhaps LinkxIlia or LinkxMidna, ShadxAshei.

Anyhow, now for the next chapter. :D :D :D :D

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**Rescue**

Link and Ashei walked stolidly through the shifting shadows of the night in the direction of Kakariko village. They had already left Faron wood and Faron field behind them and they just entered through the narrow pass that led to the lower of Hyrule's fields in Eldin province. From there it was a straight shot to the canyon lands, after they made it across the bridge that spanned the gorge that divided the lower field in two.

They had been traveling in relative silence for a while. Both of their nerves were completely tense with the prospect of their upcoming actions. Link nearly jumped when Ashei shattered the silence of the night with a whisper.

"When we get there, how much time do you suppose we will have to rescue your friends before daylight?"

"Not long," Link replied quietly, "It will be a very close thing to pull off a rescue before daybreak, but it's not like we have much choice. If we don't get them out tonight they will have to endure some of our beloved kingdom's mockeries of justice."

They were silent again for a few moments when Ashei spoke again. Link had a sneaking suspicion that it might just be because she was trying to find a way to fill the awkward silence that had grown between them, or perhaps she wanted to change the subject of Hyrule's lacking justice system or both.

"So, what happened to that green hat you always used to wear? To my knowledge you haven't worn it since you became a fugitive. You've just been using that hooded cloak of yours, yeah?"

'Definitely an awkward silence filler,' he decided. The ghost of a smile touched his lips. "I lost it," he said simply.

"I'm glad to hear that," she said with a grin, "I always thought it made you look kind of stupid."

Link couldn't help but chuckle at her unexpected remark. He did not know if she had meant it as a joke or not, but either way he found it funny. "You know you are insulting the style of hat that has been worn by Hyrule knights for centuries, disrespectful Ashei, disrespectful."

"Still stupid," she repeated with a smile.

"Well at least the thing that makes me look stupid can be removed from my person without killing me," he teased, shooting her a roughish grin.

"Oh, rudeness," she exclaimed punching him none to gently in the arm with a soft laugh. "You are very, very mean Link."

He held up a hand for silence as they made it through the pass and emerged onto the field. There was a slight hilly rise beside them and they slunk quietly along it hiding in its shadow from the light of the stars.

Link sucked in his breath as he looked towards the bridge. There were six fully armored knights standing guard in the middle of it, and this bridge was the only way to get across the small, but extremely deep, gorge without having to go miles around.

They needed to get across, but Link knew they could not attack the soldiers; if any one of the six on the bridge sounded the alarm they would never rescue Talo's family.

Link chewed his lip thoughtfully, and then looked at the bridge. It had been recently upgraded from the flimsy half broken thing it had been and was now extra sturdy, supported by two beams under the walkway on either side. These support beams connected with the walls of the gorge then arched slightly upwards to run underneath and parallel with the wooden walkway. There was about four feet of space between the bridge floorboards and the horizontal support beams underneath it. A risky idea popped into Link's head and he whispered to Ashei.

Her eyes widened and her face paled slightly, but she nodded her understanding. He grinned at her. It was more of a nervous grin than a grin of actual pleasure, but it seemed to reassure Ashei a little.

The two of them crouched low to the ground and began army crawling silently towards the bridge. Link headed for the left side and Ashei headed for the right. When they were dangerously near, Link picked up a hefty rock from the ground and tossed it over the chasm to land with a jarring thump on the other side.

The soldiers simultaneously turned away from their direction and towards the sound. This gave Ashei and Link enough time to ease themselves down onto the horizontal support beams under the bridge. They slowly and silently began to inch their way underneath the soldiers.

Link's entire body was tense with nerves and a cold sweat was beading his brow. He resolutely made up his mind not to look down at the gaping black chasm below him. He concentrated hard on every place he set his hands, clinging like a leach to the wood beam that was his only safety against plummeting to his death.

When they were a little more than half way, Link brought out another rock that he had saved for this very purpose and through it over to the side they had just come from.

The following clatter caused the guards to head across the bridge over to the opposite side, their backs completely turned from the two silent interlopers. As Link reached the other side, he cautiously poked his head up to make sure that all the soldier's attention was turn away from him and Ashei.

When he was certain, he signaled her and they climbed back up onto firm ground and melted silently into the night, both whispering silent sighs of thanks that they were still alive and unseen.

They could make out the dark looming shape of the canyons ahead of them and they walked stealthily towards them. There was a clump of boulders about eighty paces from the red sandstone cliffs and they made for them. Something shifted by the cluster of rocks and Link held up a hand for them to stop.

"What is it?" Ashei whispered.

"A sentry by the boulders, and a well placed one at that." Link replied quietly. "That is the only cover before we reach the entrance to the village. We need to get there to decide our next move or anyone standing by the village entrance could spot us. We need those rocks as a cover point."

"So Mr. well placed soldier is going to regret his placement, yeah?" Ashei said softly. "How will we take him out?"

"I think I will go tell him, hello," Link said with a grin.

Ahsei nodded her understanding and mirrored his smile, "I see what you have in mind."

Link split up with Ashei and walked silently up to the knight from the side. His soft leather boots hardly made any sound as he padded across the meadow grasses. He got within ten paces of the soldier completely unnoticed.

"A pleasant evening to you sir knight," Link said.

The soldier jumped with surprise and whirled to face him. Link stepped closer. Close enough for the man to see his face but far enough away from the soldier to dodge any spear attacks.

As the guard caught sight of him fully his eyes widened in terror. He had an idea what the former hero of twilight looked like, for he had seen him around that castle a few times.

"Lll-Link," the solder choked out in a terrified whisper.

"The very one," Link smirked as he stepped closer in a fighting stance, "I don't see what you are shivering and stuttering for though, it is a perfectly warm night." He said in airily.

The soldier reached for the small hunting horn at his side to sound the alarm but Link charged him forcing him to drop the horn and reach for his spear instead. The knight thrust forward and Link ducked low and spun neatly to the side out of the range of the spear so fast it left the soldier stunned.

He fixed his eyes on Link, held his spear ready with his right hand, and tried to fumble for his horn with his left hand. With his attention completely diverted, Ashei made her move. She darted in from behind, leaped onto the side of a tall boulder, and used it as if it were a wall to get extra leverage as she lunched herself upward in a spinning kick. Her boot connected with the soldiers head and he slumped to the ground unconscious. She then proceeded to gag and tie him up with his belt and strips from his surcoat.

While she did this, Link leaned against the rocks and looked towards the village entrance. His heart sank at what he saw. When Ashei was finished, she crouched beside him. She let out her breath in a low, airy, nearly soundless whistle as she followed his line of sight. They were so near the entrance to Kakariko village and yet so impossibly far.

Link stared dismally at the hastily built blockade wall that barred the entrance to the town. This wooden blockade was about fifteen feet tall with soldiers patrolling along it as if they were battlements. Kakariko village was built in a dried ravine bed right in the middle of the canyon and the blockade stretched from one wall of the gorge to the other. The entrance to the canyon was narrow but the dried ravine bed widened out substantially where the town was built.

"Well this is something new," he muttered darkly. "Good thing we didn't just rush in."

"Well then, what's the plan?" Ashei asked. "You're not going to give up because of a measly wall are you? I thought you had more fight in you than that."

"I am not giving up," he retorted. "I am just trying to think of a way around this problem." He studied this new difficulty, his mind racing for an idea.

"Come on hurry up, the nights more than half over. We only have a short amount of time left you know," Ashei reminded him impatiently.

"I don't see you raking you brains for a plan," he replied hotly.

"That's because I signed up as backup not plan maker, that's you job."

"Well you could help a little," he protested.

"Alright," she said grinning, "I'll help you." She ruffled his hair and spoke in a mock babyish sweet tone. "Come on you can do it; I know you will come up with something. I have faith in you."

"That," Link said exasperated whilst straitening his newly tangled hair, "that is rather less than helpful."

"You asked for it." Ashei teased, an infuriating grin on her smug features, as she smoothed back her well kempt black hair in a mock arrogant manner.

'I most certainly did not ask for that, I asked for help. What you were doing was not only distracting but also annoying.' He thought, glaring at her. Then it came to him.

"I have a plan," he announced happily. "It will work out nicely because there are two of us. One of us will take cover in full view of the battlements. That person will attack the fort just as a distraction, while the other will sneak into the village by scaling the canyon wall and break in from above."

"I will be the distraction," Ashei said "because that is the sort of the job I like. You are perfect for sneaking and skulking and the like."

"Thank you," Link said sarcastically. "Here take my cloak."

Ashei's eyes lit up with pleasure as she caught on. "Oh I get it. I will pretend to be you so they will really focus their efforts on keeping me out and pinning me down, because they are really after you, yeah?"

Link nodded and handed her his bow and arrows, the kit he had made himself that was used to easily make fire arrows, along with the few bombs he carried. These bombs were made out of an odd plant that grew near the lava of Death Mountain. The dried plant would explode on impact if thrown at something.

Ashei's face broke into a wide grin as she took the weapons, "So, I will not only be distracting but also annoying."

"That's what you good at," Link teased.

She punched him in the arm, "that was very rude Link."

"You asked for it," he jested. Then he hurried off before she could take another swing at him.

He knew of a perfect spot to scale the ravine wall. Once he made it to the mesa top he could easily get into the village. There was a convenient path leading from the sandstone top of the canyon to the village below. This was the advantage of being forced to trek all over the land of Hyrule last time there was danger, he knew the lay of the land exceptionally well. As he climbed, mostly feeling for handholds because the night was dark, he heard and saw Ashei start the diversion. She was laughing almost manically whist she shot the fire arrows at the blockade.

"Ha!" she screeched in a deep voice, "you think a stupid little wall can keep out Link the greatest outlaw ever! Ha ha ha! I will take out all of you, nothing can stop me!"

The distraction worked. All the soldiers headed over to help the wall sentries fend off the supposed Link.

Link rolled his eyes, 'Oh great she is making me look like an insane egotistical pyromaniac,' he thought to himself irritably.

Once he had made it up, he slunk quietly down the path. He encountered only two guards and they were easily knocked out with the pummel of his sword. He snuck into the center of the town and located Talo and his family. They were sitting in makeshift wooden cages. He furtively came over to them and knocked out the sentry who was guarding them.

The sun was already starting to rise as Link used his powerful blade to slash open the cages.

"Link you came!" Talo said happily as he nearly tackled him with a hug, "I knew you would."

Link embraced Talo back for a fleeting moment then beckoned to the family."Come on, Follow me; I can get you out of here."

They nodded and hurried after him. Just when Link thought that they actually might make it, everything went wrong. At that exact moment a soldier was clearly heard sounding the alarm.

"I see two figures slinking about near the canyons." His voice rang out echoing through the gorge. "It looks like they are thinking of scaling the sandstone."

"Maybe some have already made it over. Search the grounds," another soldier commanded.

"Look," a third shouted, "the cage is empty!"

"Find the outlaws!" the commanding officer yelled, "quickly!"

Link felt his heart beat accelerate drastically.

The two people that the soldier had seen were Rusl and Auru, they were not trying to scale the wall they were merely slinking alongside it. They were trying to get to Ashei and Link to tell them that it was suicidal for two people to try to lay siege to a fortress. They were also planning on trying to help get them away to safety before it was too late.

Once Ashei realized what was going on, she yelled angrily at them, "you just caused our plan to backfire! What were you thinking? Now, thanks to you, Link is trapped inside!"

Then they all had to hurl themselves flat as the soldiers, now that they could clearly see because the sun was up, fired a volley of arrows in their direction.

"Well if you two would have obeyed us none of this would have happened." Auru growled angrily, "we were trying to stop you from acting foolishly but we were obviously too late."

"It was going well until you showed up," Ashei practically screamed at the two seasoned warriors.

Ashei leaped to her feet her mind filled with the mad desire to help her friend. She tried to make a dash towards the spot where Link had climbed the canyons but a firm grip on her shoulder held her back. She thrashed wildly against hold but Auru's calm voice cut into her rage.

"Ahsei it is too dangerous to get in there now. The guards are alerted and there is a troop of them headed our way. You won't save him by getting yourself killed or captured. Think about it, if those soldiers have Link then they are probably going to take him to the castle."

"I can't let that happen to him, I won't let that happen to him-" Ashei started but was cut short by Auru.

"Listen, if we run for it now and head along the outside of the canyon we might be able to cut them off and find a way to help Link and free him when they try to cross the upper Eldin field. Also, you never know, he might find a way out of this mess on his own, he's done it before."

Ashei knew deep on her heart that this was the only way. She nodded reluctantly and the three of them fled to safety.

Several soldiers spotted Link, Talo, and his parents and hurried in their direction.

"This way," Link yelled as he turned off the main road and onto a walled-in side path, the path that lead to the graveyard. He knew of a way to escape.

During his last adventure, when Ganon had threatened the land, he had discovered a hidden stream behind the canyon wall of the graveyard. A tunnel that was covered over by a thin slab of rock led to this hidden alcove. The stream came from a large spring and was only visible for about twenty yards before it ran underground for a while. Also, he had figured out by accident, the outlet of the stream when it resurfaced was in Lake Hyila. It was a perfect quick escape route, and it was safe as well.

When they reached the walled in hollow that made up the graveyard, Talo's father let out a cry of dismay. "You led us into a dead end there is no escape! We will be caught and killed!"

"No," Link shook his head and dashed towards the far wall and kicked away the stone that blocked the entrance.

He hurriedly spoke about it and told them what it was and where it let out as he ushered them inside. They all made it through without difficulty except for Talo's mother Pergie. She was having a small amount of difficulty maneuvering her amplitude through the narrow opening and they were running out of time. Link knew that the solders would soon be on top of them. He turned and ran back the way he had come to try to hold them off so as allow Talo and his family time to escape.

He stood in the shadow of the wall at the entrance to the graveyard and waited for the soldiers to appear around the bend. He clearly heard their heavy footfalls and prepared himself. He did not want to kill the soldiers he just wanted to hold them back. After that task was completed he would have to find an escape route for himself.

As he watched the soldiers approach, he sensed something behind and above him and tried to sidestep. Unfortunately the sense came too late and something hit him heavily in the back. He had noticed lately that his ability to sense had diminished greatly since his encounter with Zelda and he had no idea why. Reeling from the blow, he half turned to face the unseen foe but something stuck him in the head before he fully turned and everything went dark.

* * *

**CLIFFHANGER! Are you going to kill me? Yes? Maybe? Possably? Were you going to kill me then thought better of it because the rest of the story would never be completed? 8D, sorry too much sugar... Thank you again for so many reviews! **

**QUESTION:**

**What's your ****_least_**** favorite Zelda item?**


	12. Prisoner

**A/N-** Hello everyone! :D :D I hope you are all well. I was a tad bit worried that I would not get this chapter out in time because of my hectic test studying schedule but I managed it somehow. After all, my life and the life of a certain computer would be forfeit if I did not update soon. He he e_e :D. Your positive feedback has successfully kept any writers block at bay, so I thank you all. And for all of those out there who have been wondering what the bulblins of Hyrule have been up to while all the people are busily fighting themselves, you shall have to wait no longer. So without further ado, here is last week's cliffhanger resolution. Link is in major trouble…

**xXx skytale xXx-** Don't hurt your computer. What did it ever do to you? School is horribly time consuming. I didn't like scrapper that much either, he was rude and annoying. Always making cracks about Link's stature and mental capabilities (disrespectful) and he waisted a bunch of Link's time and efforts with his arrogance at Eldin Volcano . He deserved a swift kick to the posterior if you ask me (that is, if he had one).

**Hylian Knight-** Link is epic and he is acting rather Robin Hood-ish now that I think about it. Thanks for your review! :) Allenadale is saved, but Robin is going to Nottingham ha ha :P This gives me an epic idea for a crossover.

**Curiositycat-** *HAPPY BIRTHDAY* (well, belated birthday now but still). When it comes to cliffhangers, I just can't help myself, they just sort of happen. I am glad I have gotten you hooked, that is so helpful to my moral. I think every writer loves to hear that. I am extremely grateful.

**Gojira Geek-** Now I shall always call the ancient spinner, spiny top thing. I like it.

**ArianandXaia-** Sweet, I love virtual cookies, though they do seem to have a slight ink and paper taste to them (0_o, I wonder why, :P) Thank you for your reviews, they were very encouraging. I hate the Empress too and cannot wait to write about her comeuppance. I don't think I should let her get away with everything she did :D. As for your question; yes a few people are dying or getting hurt with the new regime, but that number is drastically less than what it would be if Zelda defied the Empress, ( I shall explain that more in a later chapter) However, Zelda is going to have to make a move sooner or later. I have always wanted to know what Midna was going to say to Link, I think I might have to agree with you on that.

**xXFirecrackerXx- **You shall just have to be patient, which stinks I know. I hated that mushroom too; I think I failed just as much as you if not more. It irked me so much that I had to take a break from it or the game might have gotten accidently maliciously destroyed. (Me and my lack of talent :P) Thank you sooooo much for the review.

**MiniJen-** I updated! he he (as you have no doubt already guessed.) Thanks so much, :) :) you plastered a big dorky grin on my face with your comment.

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony**- That is so nice of you to say. Sugar hiiiiiigh! I hope you find your unicorn soon. ;P I didn't like the gust bellows either. Scorpions _are_ creepy, and I have seen more than I could ever possibly want to see from them cause I live in a desert. I suppose they are ok as long as they are at least five feet away from me because they are fascinating. (but still creepy especially when the little buggars attack).

**Generala-** Link has lost a bit of his wolfish sensing abilities and I shall explain the reason for that later so don't worry, suffice it to say that it has something to do with the Empress and Link's conflicted emotions. Sorry I can't say more yet but I promise I shall explain my ideas and reasoning later. I agree with you, it would have been a lot more productive if they had given Link the horse call earlier in the game, before he could transform with ease and warp wherever he wanted.

* * *

**Prisoner**

Link regained consciousness slowly, the hot canyon sun gradually permeating through his perception. He let out a soft groan, confused as to what had happened. Then his memories flooded back in a rush. He felt his body tense with a sense of panic, which was only compounded when he found he could not move his arms. Resisting the urge to writhe against his bonds in a feverish alarm, he tried to focus.

He opened his eyes slowly to find that he was tied to some sort of post in the center of Kakariko village. His hands were secured above his head by a rope to the top of the pole. His head was throbbing dully where he had been hit. Everything was foggy for a short moment and he waited for his vision and head to clear fully.

He heard laughing and cheering and turned toward the sound. In front of him, five soldiers were heartily congratulating a boy not much older than himself.

"He never saw you coming," a guard was saying excitedly, "the way you jumped on him from that ledge. That was brilliant."

The leader of this group of soldiers shushed the man before speaking. "It appears congratulations are in order Kasran." He spoke to the boy. "It is about time someone brought this vile criminal to justice," He said as he spat in Link's direction. "You, my apprentice, are on your way to becoming a fine soldier."

Link glared at the commanding officer before looking hard at the boy who had supposedly captured him. The boy or Kasran, Link supposed his name was, was nearly of the same size and stature as himself. He had dark brown hair and hazel colored eyes. He had a rather nice looking face and a blush was on his features. He was obviously embarrassed by all the praise he was receiving, but despite his blush he also carried a certain expression of pride.

Link's eyes darted back to the pompous commander as he spoke.

"We can help you bring this outlaw scum to Castle Town where you can collect the bounty."

The boy saluted his commander as he spoke, "Sir, It would be my honor to share the reward with you. I could never have done it without your instruction." He glanced at Link then asked quietly, "with respect, Sir, isn't that boy a bit young to be a desperate criminal, I mean he looks hardly older than me. He looks nothing like I expected."

"Looks can be deceiving lad," the commander solemnly informed his young student. "You," he said to Kasran, "have chosen a life of honor, dedication, discipline, and integrity. And this murderous traitor scum," he said, arrogantly gesturing at Link, "has chosen the path of evil, shame, dishonor, and disgrace."

He spat at Link again, and Link in turn resumed his glare. The commander glared back at him for a few seconds before sliding his eyes off to the side, nervously. He turned back to his troops.

"Come on men," he ordered, "get your supplies in order. Although we lost our other prisoners this mission was not a total failure. We will leave to deliver this scum to the princess in a few hours."

Then he turned his attention back to Link with a vindictive smile. He spoke directly to him for the first time.

"Link, former hero of twilight and traitor to the crown," he said as he stepped forward and placed the point of his spear under Link's chin, "your days of cowardice are over, and so are your days of bringing disgrace to our army by your traitorous name."

The unnerving sensation of cold sharp metal making contact with his skin, made Link lean backwards and crane his neck to the side slightly. It was a useless comfort gesture and he knew it because there was no way for him to get away, but he couldn't help it. He hated feeling vulnerable.

The commander retracted his spear and continued his speech. "I thought you would like to know that the princess has promised us that if you were to be captured by any one of her men at arms then we soldiers and knights would have the honor of making you walk the gauntlet, as soon as she is finished with you that is. I trust that you will enjoy being reunited with the soldiers you betrayed, about as much as they will enjoy seeing your traitorous face. I want nothing more than to see you get the retribution you deserve."

Link's eyes widened in horror.

"What nothing to say boy?" the commander taunted.

"Go to the Dark World," Link said softly but dangerously through clenched teeth.

The soldiers face darkened with rage momentarily before he smiled, turned on his heel, and strode arrogantly away.

Link tried to ignore the threat, but the pompous commander's words had the desired effect. He felt all the color drain from his face. This news made the already dire situation even more desperate. Feeling cold and sick, he slumped against the pole as far as the rope would allow. He had to escape. His hope drained away to almost nothing when two soldiers stayed behind to guard him.

'No chance of escaping now,' he thought to himself dejectedly.

The young soldier Kasran stared quizzically at him for a couple moments longer before turning to join his troop.

While Link waited for the troop to leave, several other people from the village stopped to stare at him, some that he used to know quite well. It was awkward, infuriating, and embarrassing to be stared at as though he were some sort of caged animal.

Renado, the Shaman of Kakariko, was one of them. He had helped Link with many things in the past when the kingdom had been in danger. However, judging by the condescending sorrowful glance he gave as he passed, Link guessed that he believed the lies about him and believed he was a traitor. Most of the people who walked by gave him either a condescending, disgusted, or fearful look, so Link knew that no help would come from any of them.

When the soldiers were about to ready to leave, the Shaman's daughter, Luda, came out of her house, towards the end of the street, and headed straight towards him. An angry expression was on her childish face. Luda was a young girl about Colin's age and was usually kind and respectful and Link considered her to be a friend. She walked directly passed the two sentries.

"What do you think you're doing," the sentry on the left asked.

"I am going to tell this yeasty cod-beast exactly what I think of him," she said angrily in a shrill voice, "I used to like him before he turned evil but now… oh wait till I am finished with you, you dirty rat," she yelled looking directly him. "He's tied up right now so he can't hurt me," she declared boldly to the soldiers.

The guards laughed with amusement and let her pass. Link stared at her, one eyebrow raised. In all the time he had known her she had hardly raised her voice or lost her temper. He was not sure what to make of this. He watched her approach. Her small hands were baled up into fists. She stopped directly in front of him and began shouting insults.

"I used to look up to you! How could you be so evil?!" she shrilled as she punched him, but not at all hard. She gave a quick glance behind her to see if the guards were watching, and when she saw that they were, she turned back to him. Smiling, she winked broadly and mouthed the words 'I'm going to help you,' before she let out a maddened screech and jumped on him, clawing kicking.

To the soldiers it looked as if she were attacking in the manner of a cornered cat but Link watched her slip an extremely tiny and slightly dull knife into his boot. He played along with her yelling angrily for her to get off him until the soldiers, worried that she might get hurt, came up and dragged her off.

"Take that from my father and me, you monster." She shrilled flailing madly against the soldiers grip. "Put me down!" she yelled and the knights. "I am not finished with him yet, I didn't even give him a fifth of what he deserves!"

Link smiled inwardly, as she was hauled away. The tiny dagger could hardly be of any use when he was surrounded by soldiers but it was better than nothing. He knew he might be able to find a use for it. He silently thanked Luda and her father, glad that his initial assumption about the shaman had been wrong, and glad that he had at least two allies left in this village. He promised himself that he would find a way to thank them properly later.

The soldiers packed their gear, saddled their steeds, and prepared to leave. He would soon be on his way to Hyrule castle. This awareness, however, did not bother him quite as much as it had a few moments ago. It was not exactly the knife that gave him hope but Luda's thoughtful gesture, which brought with it the knowledge that not everyone, outside his band of rebels, hated him. He was not going to give in without a fight.

**~x~X~x~**

Link had never before felt so foolish in all his life. A long rope tightly secured his hands in front of him to the saddle of Kasran's horse. About eight feet of rope separated him from the horse's posterior. He was being forced to stride at an odd shambling pace halfway between a jog and a walk to keep up with the horse as they headed across the desert like plains towards Hyrule castle. Needless to say he considered the view from his position to be less than ideal.

There had been a recent rain and the lower areas of the slightly hilly plains were pockmarked with mud puddles in the lower sandy places were no stubby grass and desert plants grew. The heat of the sun was rapidly drying these mud wallows so that the top layer formed a partially dry slimy skin over the more moist mud underneath. These conditions were less than ideal for horses for the slimy mud stuck terribly to their hoofs caking them with completely, but the soldiers were in too much of a hurry to go the long way around or wait for better riding conditions.

He was flanked on either side by guards making escape almost impossible. He yelped as the arrogant commander used the long shaft of his spear to trip him. He tried to remain upright but the cavalcade's swift unceasing pace did not allow for balance checks. He cried out again as he face planted in the mud, for the third time. He was dragged a short while by the horse before he was able to struggle to his feet once more, almost falling again in the process. His face hair and clothes were covered in mud, sand, and some dried desert plant material. The soldiers laughed uproariously as if this were some hugely amusing joke.

"You have got to be the clumsiest outlaw I have ever seen," the pompous commander sneered. "I told you that the ground was treacherous and warned you to watch your step. It's a pity you did not listen to me."

Link felt his face flush with humiliation as he caught sight of something in the distance. Far off, near the canyon wall, behind and to the side of his position, he spied Ashei, Rusl, and Auru crouching behind some boulders, watching every minute of his disgrace. He quickly turned away so as not to give away their position. What made this matter especially humiliating was that he had ended up right where Rusl had warned he would. To make matters worse the rocks where they had hidden themselves were too far off to offer any aid to his predicament. Looking on the bright side, all the dirt, dried tumbleweed parts and the like would probably make excellent desert camouflage if he managed to escape. 'That was a sadly pathetic bright side,' he thought to himself ruefully and he couldn't help but smile.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw an evil smirk grow on the arrogant commander's face. He could tell that the commander was readying his spear pole for another attack as they neared a particularly large mud puddle. This time though, Link was ready. He skillfully leapt over the pole as the guard swung. The commander, knocked off balance by his momentum, fell off his horse and landed in the exact puddle he intended for his prisoner. He lay right in Link's path. Link, saying nothing, stepped daintily over the guard's mud coated body.

"Why you disreputable vermin," one of his soldiers screeched angrily after he called for the procession to halt. "Nobody disgraces our leader like that." As he spoke he brought his spear pole down hard upon Link's back. At the same time another solder used his spear pole to trip him and he fell to the ground but only in the dirt and not in the mud this time.

"He disgraced himself by his own cowardly actions," Link said quietly but angrily as he rose, "and so now, do you. Would it be too hard for you to face me in a fair fight instead of attacking an unarmed prisoner? Have you all lost your honor?"

The soldier kicked mud in Link's direction, but he was too preoccupied in helping up his commander to do anything more. Kasran heard his protest and turned around to face him as he spoke.

"What would an outlaw know of honor? There is no lower form of life than someone who used to be a hero but gave in power lust. You are the only one here who is disgraced and that is because of a choice that you made."

Link laughed softly, 'if only that were true,' he thought to himself wryly as he glanced around.

He felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as he looked towards the north. The faint outline of the soaring towers of Hyrule castle could be seen in the distance. He knew he did not have much time left. He glanced longingly at his sword which was fixed to the back of Kasran's saddle. He looked around again; the guards were still distracted. If he was quick he could run up to Kasran's horse, steel it back, and free himself before they could stop him.

Something, however, made him pause; he felt a sense that something was amiss. It was a very weak sense but it was still there. He stood still and listened, every muscle tense. As he listened he felt a slight rumble in the ground and he knew what was wrong. He had heard this ominous sound many times before. It meant that a troop of mounted bulblins were about to attack.

These bulblins traveled in packs and they rode upon massive boars as if they were horses. They were prone to attacking the flatlands near the canyons. They were vicious murdering monsters. Sometimes they would attack and kill on sight, but sometimes unfortunate people were taken captive. Link did not know what happened to the people who were captured but he was positive that it was nothing good.

"Excuse me sirs," he said politely but urgently, "I think tha-"

"Shut up!" The pompous commander shouted, whist trying to brush off the mud. "I will not tolerate any of you lip!"

"But sir," Link tried again, "we are about to be under att-"

"Shut up or I will lay my spear pole across you back!" The soldier shouted.

"Listen please!" Link practically begged, "We are about to be under attack by bulblins."

"I told you to shut up," the guard said raising his spear. "There are no bulblins in this area. Do I look like a fool to you?"

"You don't want me to answer that," Link smirked, "but that is beside the point! We are in serious danger now."

"How dare you say such an insolent remark," the guard fumed.

He was about to bring down his spear shaft when the rumbling intensified and a troop of mounted bulblins came pounding into view. The soldiers gasped in surprise.

"Warned you," Link said miserably.

"We are outnumbered," whispered one of the soldiers in horror.

"We may be able to outrun them," the commander shouted.

Link could see that they were not mounting their horses fast enough, their armor made them too heavy and slow. He knew they were in for a fight. He tried to make a dash for his sword but it was too late the bulblins were upon them. Chaos ensued and a battle broke out. Link dodged out of the path of one of the monstrous boars as it attacked. Kasran drew his weapon to fend off the gruesome creature.

As they fought the flat of the bulblin's blade smacked down hard upon Kasran's horse's tender flank.

'Oh, not good,' Link thought to himself as the horse let out a panicked whinny and reared.

The horse was completely spooked. It let out a screaming neigh of terror and galloped away at top speed.

Link only had time for a surprised cry as he was yanked after the terrified horse and dragged up a small rise and across the fine reddish sand by his hands at an alarming rate. Five mounted bulblins broke formation and chased after Kasran and his steed.

The wind was nearly knocked out of Link as he was yanked over several clumps of the stubby thick desert grass before he was once again in mass of sand. He closed his eyes to keep the flying sand out of them, but he opened them again when he heard the clash of sword blades. From his distorted point of view he saw that one of the mounted bulblins had rode up alongside Kasran and they were engaged in a swordfight. The bulblin made a wild slash and he missed Kasran completely. Instead, he cut the rope that secured Link to the terrified horse. Link skidded to a halt halfway inside a desert hearty chamisa bush, as the horse and the boars sped onwards.

He heard screaming up ahead but, lacking the desire to move much, he pulled himself the rest of the way inside the bush incase the bulblins came back to search for him. He could barely see the sky through the tiny frond like leafs and masses of tiny clustering yellow flowers; so he doubted that the nearsighted bulblins would be able to see him.

Groaning slightly, he felt along his person for injury, thankfully there was none. He worked his hands free of the rope using the tiny dull knife Luda had given him. It was rather lucky, he decided, that he had been dragged over the relatively soft sand rather than rocks or sandstone. It was also rather fortunate, he decided with a smile, that he had landed in one of the least spiky and most pliable of all the desert bushes. At least it was not a hidden-flower bush, tumbleweed, or worst of all, a cactus. He winced at the thought.

He immediately stopped moving and forced his breathing to become softer as he heard the hoofs of a giant boar approaching. The boar and his rider stopped near the bush he was hiding under. Link could hear his heart beating quite loudly, and he hoped the bulblin could not.

The bulblin made an odd sniffing sound for a while before turning his steed around and riding away. Link's mind whirled, if the bulblins came back to look for him then that meant that they were interested in taking prisoners. That in turn meant that there was a good chance that the boy Kasran might still be alive and in need of help.

For a split second he thought about leaving and heading back to where he had last seen his companions. After all, the soldiers had done nothing to endear themselves to him, quite the opposite really. It was their own fault they had ended up in such a mess and he was almost happy to leave them in fire of their own making. It was almost poetic justice, almost a gift of fate. Then he paused, realizing how cruel and petty he sounded. When had he lost his sense of honor and respect and replaced it with cruelty and malice. He knew he was better than this.

His thoughts had been growing increasingly dark and he was afraid, yes the barer of the mark of courage afraid, afraid of what he might become if he let the darkness he felt tugging at the corner of his heart take control. Bitterness, it was such a small word and yet its effects were devastating. 'No,' he decided he would not give into hatred. It did not matter that Kasran was, technically speaking, his enemy. He could not let him get tortured for the amusement of evil bulblins; no one deserved such a fate. As he thought about it he realized that there was something about Kasran that he liked. He had not been arrogant or rude, and he seemed to have a sense of honor.

He crawled out of the bush and winced as he stood up, he was probably going to get several bruises from this fiasco, and he was already sore. He sighed as he studied the ground and began to track the bulblins. Ahead he saw something dark and shadowy not too far away and he made for it. When he reached it he discovered that it was Kasran's saddle. A bulblin must have slashed the saddle strap during the fight, and probably Kasran had fallen with it. Based on the tracks after this point the horse had gone one way and the bulblins another. He was sure now that Kasran had been captured.

As he peered closely at the fallen saddle he saw the tip of his scabbard poking out from underneath the saddle blanket. He reached down and picked up his sword. He sighed with relief as he found that it was undamaged. His dagger was there as well. He raised a hand to shade his eyes as he tried to see where the tracks led. He needed to get to the bulblins' camp before it was too late.

It was late in the afternoon when he finally located the bulblins' camp. He stared in surprised at what he saw. It was one of the largest bulblin camps he had ever seen. He couldn't help but wonder what had caused them to congregate in such numbers. It was probably because that for the past couple of months they had run around unchecked and unchallenged due to the fact that all the people who opposed them were hiding in the woods or guarding the princess. The camp was built in a sandstone indentation surrounded by the ruins of an ancient wall, south east of the bridge of Eldin. He saw, with only a tiny hint of satisfaction, that Kasran was tied up in almost the exact fashion he had been earlier that morning.

Bulblins were some of the stupidest creatures, he decided as he headed in that direction. They had tied the boy behind one of their tents and they were all on the other side. There was no sign of a guard anywhere. As he stepped closer he began to get worried, Kasran appeared to be unconscious and had a nasty black eye. His worries were eased as he drew nearer and Kasran stirred and opened his eyes. After staring at Link for a moment, an expression of fear crossed his face. Link motioned for silence. Kasran looked even more fearful and whispered, "Please don't kill me."

"Kill you?" Link whispered back in surprise, "Why in Hyrule would I ever want to kill you?" The thought simply had never occurred to him.

"Because you're a murderer, traitor, and a thief, and you want get revenge on me for me capturing you, please don't hurt me," he whimpered.

"Hurt you?" Link whispered back exasperated, but a smile was tugging at the corner of his mouth in amusement, "I came here to rescue you." As he spoke, he sliced though the rope.

* * *

**So what do you think so far? I hope I have not lost anyone's interest. Please review I love hearing your opinions and feedback.**

**QUESTION:**

Have any of you guys read any LoZ mangas? What do you think about them?

(I like The Four Swords the best, it's hilarious! But deep…)

**Poll- **Speaking of comeuppances, what do you guys think should happen to the Empress?

For those who don't know "walking the gauntlet" is a military punishment that originated in Rome and was then continued to be used in various places all the way up until about the 1800's in which a condemned person or captive soldier is forced to walk in between two rows (a gauntlet) of soldiers who repeatedly strike him. It was usually meant for a person who disgraced the army or who was in trouble for insubordination. Since the person was part of the army it was not necessarily to the death. Various rules could and usually were applied, such as banning edged weapons, requiring the group to keep one foot in place, or allowing the soldier to attempt to protect his head with his hands. If a person made it through still standing they were usually set free and able to join the ranks of their men again. Since the people dealing out the punishment were the person's fellow soldiers, I have heard stories that on rare occasion, if the person was well liked, they might get off easier. I have even heard rare tales or perhaps myths of a person making it through completely unscathed because of the devotion of their men.

I personally think that if Link were to walk the gauntlet in normal circumstances absolutely no one would touch him. (because he is so awesome) Even in with the circumstances of my story I would have the sneaking suspicion that many of the soldiers would either be too afraid to or too loyal/feel they owe something to lay a finger on him. The idea of it is pretty scary and horrible though. People can be so mean ;_; O.O ;_;

Sorry for the ridiculously long definition. :D I think I might have accidentally given away the fact that I am a bit of a history geek when I am bored, ooops. See what boredom does to people. I apologize for my neediness. He he, I geek out over way to many things oh well, I doubt that will ever change. Anywho thank you guy so much for reading.


	13. The Evil Outlaw

**A/N** -Now for the final part of this mini arc. My apologies to those who were hoping for a Link and Zelda encounter, but never fear, it will happen. This chapter ended up with a little more fight scenes than what I originally planned for, but this is the way it came out. I hope it is not too tedious. As usual, thank you for your support!

**ArianandXaia**- Your comment made me laugh super hard, I loved it. You can call people you don't like an empress now, and you won't get in trouble for your language :P . Thank you so much :)

**Hylian Knight**- I think they should create a game called history nerd's creed, everyone will love it (at least I will anyway :P) As for your question I believe bulblins are the small little goblins in TP and moblins are the huge pudgy reddish ogres in Ss. Thank you for your review! :)

**miano53**- Nearer to the end of the book, most likely :D

**Generala**- Thanks! Humans stink pretty badly a lot of the time. Link and Zelda may or may not see each other sometime in the next two or three chapters *cough cough*

**CuriosityCat**- D'aaawww shucks, that's so sweet of you to say. I love Arthurian tales and Robin Hood also.

**Guest**- Thank you that you took the time to read and review, and thank you for your compliments. :) As for your comments, I respect your opinions and point of view, and appreciate your input. I'm sorry that Link and Zelda look weak to you. It was not my intent to portray them that way. But honestly, it is really the circumstances that they are in that might make them appear so. For Zelda, even the most powerful person can be brought down in a blackmailing sort of situation; her people and duties are her Achilles heel. I love the fact that she is capable and willing to physically fight for her kingdom and she will be doing so in my story as well. I am not planning for her to be a helpless idiot that Link has to rescue, I happen to be a firm believer in girl power. I do not, however, believe she is all powerful, *Ganon, Zant* (they did overpower her) and the game Twilight Princess are perfect examples. As for Link, I am well aware of how physically and battle strong he is (it's one of the many reasons I like him so much) I do agree with you about TP Link probably being the strongest most battle ready Link of them all so far. Of course he has the skill to hack his way (or maul if in wolf form) through and defeat an entire army of Hyrule's knights single handed, but, the question is, does he have the heart to? Link is a very moral person and I believe that sort of senseless violence and bloodshed is against his code of honor and character. I hope this clears up my reasoning and motives a bit for you. :)

**Seldom reviewer**- Thank you so much, that was very thoughtful and nice of you. :D. Yay, someone understands my crazy reasoning! I love random history lessons and deep philosophical discussions (I usually have them at 2 a.m., much to the annoyance of my sis), though, they do tend to take quite a while. Thanks again.

**ammabee**- Wow, I am feeling so stupid now, especially because I actually knew that at one time and it slipped my mind, curses. ;_; . I am very grateful to you for pointing that out and I shall fix that error as soon as possible. :D . I made her tell her plan because she wants to play mind games with Zelda and she is completely confident in her abilities, she has not given away everything though. Your suggestion is a great one I am seriously considering it, the problem is, it would require me to completely rewrite my first chapter, and I am CRAZY busy at the moment. Thanks again :P.

Special thanks (and gratitude crystals) to **AnimeMaster24**, **xXx skytale xXx**, **Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony**, **Gorjira Geek**, and **MiniJen**, your support is inspirational. I was pretty impressed at how well done and deeply thought out the LoZ mangas are. Thank you for all your awesome comments.

* * *

**The Evil Outlaw**

Kasran slumped to the ground and stared up in surprise as the person, who he thought was his enemy, reached a hand down to help him up. Kasran gawked at the boy in front of him, he looked wild and crazy. He was covered in dried mud and his hair was sticking out in odd directions.

'He probably wants to take me somewhere else to kill me,' he thought terrified. Kasran had never been trained for situations like this; he did not know what to do. Then he looked directly into the eyes of the boy standing in front of him. His mother had told him the one could tell anything about a person from their eyes, and she was not often wrong. Kasran had seen the eyes of cruel men and this boy's eyes did not look anything like that. They did have a slight unnerving feral look to them, but they were much more than that. To Kasran they also looked kind, which was surprising, friendly and kind with a sparkle of amusement. He had a rather quirky mouth like he found something to be entertaining in a humorous way. Without really thinking Kasran reached out his hand and grasped that of this weird new ally. "Come on," the outlaw boy whispered "we have to get out of here, now."

They slunk quietly backwards but as they did so one of the bulbins came around the tent to check on their prisoner. The bulblin saw the slashed rope and spotted them escaping, he shrieked a warning to his many companions and a chase began. The wild looking outlaw took Kasran by the hand and led him towards the canyon at a rapid run, "I hope you know what you are doing!" Kasran whimpered.

"So do I," his odd companion teased.

A swarm of the goblins began to close in on them from all sides clubs and hook-swords raised to stike. Kasran searched desperately around him for anything that could be used as a weapon. There were about twenty of the creatures blocking the path to freedom. Kasran's frightened eyes locked on to a nearby stick but before he could even make a move towards it the traitor went on the offensive.

The outlaw widened his stance and brought his sword close to him in a ready position, his muscles ripcord tight and ready to spring. Five bulblins came in range and the traitor leaped up and forward. While in midair he slashed to either side of himself taking out the two on the side before they could raise their defenses, as he began his downward plummet he used the weight of his jump and a downward stroke to take out two as he landed. As soon as his feet were on the ground he parried the blades of two monsters, broke through their defenses and leaped nimbly into their midst swinging his sword around himself with such practiced skill and speed it was frightening. He feigned an attack to put all the monsters into the position he wanted them to be in, then adjusted his footing and skillfully spun his sword around in a deadly gleaming circle. He accomplished this last move without giving the enemy an opening or a chance to block him and cleared their path to freedom. Kasran stared dumfounded at the traitor.

"No time for gawking," the young warrior said with a half smile as he grabbed Kasran's wrist and dragged him away from their attackers at a run. "The reinforcements are on the way."

Kasran glanced behind him to see about eight mounted bulblins priming their bows. As skilled as the outlaw traitor obviously was, a person armed only with a sword would not have much chance against archers, especially when he was defending an unarmed person as well as himself. Kasran turned back around, terror lending speed to his limbs as he and the traitor raced towards the canyons. Soon, Kasran saw the precise spot they were headed to, a crack in the canyon that, he realized as they drew nearer, was not a crack but a thin passageway. The wild boy headed for it and they went inside. The inside of this thin canyon was like a maze, but the boy seemed to know where he was going. He headed for a ledge and started to climb.

"Get up here before the bulbins round the corner," he said, and Kasran scrambled up after him.

Once Kasran climbed over the ledge he saw that it was like a hidden alcove. It was a shelter of rocks with a spring in the center, a fairly large one with two pools. Several desert plants were growing by its edge.

The mud caked boy motioned for silence then whispered, "Bulblins are stupid, they never look up, but you better be quiet, if they hear us they will find us."

They waited for what seemed like hours as the dimwitted bulblins scampered hither and thither down below. They finally gave up near sunset. The wild boy sighed as he heard the footsteps retreating.

"I say we rest here tonight. We will have to fight our way out tomorrow," he said, "because they will block the entrance. They will wait for us, and unfortunately for us that is the only way out. Their archers will set up a blockade and armed such as we are it will be very difficult to get past t-"

The shock of everything finally wore off slightly and Kasran couldn't help but interrupt, "Why did you help me? Why didn't you leave me to die? You could have."

"Why wouldn't I help you? No one deserves to be tortured by bulbins."

The outlaw got up and headed towards the larger of the two pools where he washed his hands and picked one of the smaller desert plants. Kasran watched as he ground the plant into a poultice using the water from the smaller pool and a flat rock.

"Let me fix that eye of yours," he said gently as he stepped over, "it looks awful. Wild canyon primrose, it helps with swelling," he explained, when Kasran looked mistrustfully towards the poultice.

Kasran stared warily at Link for a moment, and then allowed him to gently wash his eye before and place the poultice on it.

"An evil outlaw who has a gentle touch and knows the arts of an herbalist, you're not exactly what I expected." Kasran stared quizzically at the strange boy with one eye.

"Well I need to not make a habit out of saving guards," Link said amusedly, sitting back. "Pretty soon I will have no hideouts left. Now I can never stay in this one again, and it is such a nice one too." He was silent for a moment before speaking again. "If you're thirsty, I use the smaller pool for drinking and the larger one for washing because it's lower," he explained.

**~x~X~x~**

It was late but Kasran couldn't sleep despite the fact he was exhausted. He was beginning to wonder if maybe everyone was wrong about this outlaw. He was not anything like the soldiers described him. He stared hard at the boy's face in the moonlight. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully and now, because he had cleaned himself up, he did not look half as wild and crazy. He looked rather like a normal teenager, a bit on the shorter side, with ash-blond hair and dark blue eyes; he had a rather nice face too. He silently mouthed his name, 'Link,' it seemed to fit quite nicely. When they had fist met, he had expected Link to look evil and to be much older. Some of the castle folk described him as a tall buff warrior. He had never seen him after he had saved the kingdom so he only had the word of others to go on. He had not expected this warrior traitor, leader of a dark army and a hoard of lawbreaking murdering rebels, to be a mere teenager.

"I can't sleep with you staring at me like that," Link said with his eyes still closed.

"Sorry," Kasran apologized. He fell silent before asking a question that had been gnawing at him, "I can't help but wonder: Are you really a murderer?"

Link opened his eyes and smiled, "I am not, and have never been a murderer."

"The funny thing is," Kasran said quietly, "I actually want to believe you. I'm sorry I jumped on you earlier," he said sheepishly. "Also I am also sorry I knocked you out. You know, you don't look anything like your wanted poster."

"I have a wanted poster?" Link asked intrigued, sitting up.

"Yep, you do. I have it with me now if you want to see it." Kasran took out a folded piece of paper form his tunic front.

Link stared at a rather exaggerated caricature of himself in which he was depicted with a wicked sneer and evil looking eyes. For a moment it seemed that he could not make up his mind whether to laugh or be irritated. He simply shook his head scoffing.

"I can't believe I am only worth ten thousand rupees," he teased. "I think I am worth at least oh, seven times that."

Although he was smiling Kasran thought he could detect another emotion in his face, sorrow or anger perhaps. This puzzled Kasran. He had half expected outlaws to be proud of being lawless and this boy seemed not to be.

Link glanced suspiciously at him, "Exactly why are you carrying around a wanted picture of me in you tunic front?"

"I picked it up in Kakariko after I captured you I wanted to have it on hand when I collected the reward. It's in my tunic front is because I don't have pockets or a satchel, why do you ask?

"Oh, good," Link answered his question with a grin, "for a moment I was worried that you had ambitions to be an obsessive bounty hunter."

"Ha, ha," Kasran replied dryly trying to look irritated but he couldn't hold back a smile that turned into a chuckle. Link had one of those smiles that made anyone who saw it want to smile too. 'How annoying,' Kasran thought to himself as he strove to shrink his grin back into his normal serious expression.

Kasran went to sleep with one eye open. He was still slightly afraid of sharing a hideout with a desperate criminal, even though Link had not shown himself to be a threat. He felt a bit easier when he knew Link was actually asleep. His mind however, seemed to be too active for slumber. Also, no matter where he lay there always seemed to be a chunk of rock sticking into his back. He shifted position for the twentieth time with a sigh.

He was slightly worried about tomorrow and how they would escape the bulbins.

Thoughts of what he would do after they fought free of the enemy raced through his mind. Even if Link was not a murderer he was still an outlaw, and there was still the matter of the bounty. If he could possibly defeat Link in a fair fight he would feel better about getting the reward. Link himself had spoken of honor, he might agree to this. On the other hand he did not think that capturing him would be a proper way to thank him for his help. If he turned Link in he was sure nothing nice would happen to him, he would probably get killed, and Kasran already felt himself to be in Link's debt for rescuing him from the bublins. One thing was for sure though: capturing a dangerous criminal could defiantly move him up in rank. Ever since he was a child he wanted to be a high ranking soldier like his father. That was his dream and this boy could help him get it.

The feeling of being stared at woke Link from his sleep. Irritated at being woken and sore from the day's adventure, he glared furiously at Kasran.

"Would you just go to sleep already, and stop staring at me," he hissed angrily.

He rolled over onto his back. He winced as he remembered too late that he had a major bruise there from the soldiers spear shaft. "Ouch," he muttered darkly to himself before getting up and crossing to the other side of the shelter, out of staring range to sleep.

**~x~X~x~**

"We have two choices," Link announced early the next morning. "One, we can fight through the bulbins who have probably gotten reinforcements, or, we could try to climb to the top of the canyon and escape that way."

"There is only one problem with attacking," Kasran said. "I don't have a weapon."

"What do you normally fight with?"

"I have been trained to fight with almost any weapon," Kasran replied hoping that he did not sound too arrogant, "but my weapon of choice is a dagger."

Link grinned, "You're in luck then." He took his dagger from the back of his belt and handed it to Kasran. Then he added, still smiling, "No attacking me with that until after we escape."

Kasran smiled back, "Not unless you attack me first." Then he spoke again, "based on the circumstances of this situation, I think it would be best if we went upwards."

"Upwards it is then," Link smiled broadly, "but we have to do this quietly, bulbilns have allies besides bokoblins and boars."

He headed for a spot towards the edge of the hideout that had some decent handholds and started climbing, Kasran followed. As Kasran scrambled up the final ledge, he accidentally dislodged a huge chunk of sandstone. It made a considerable noise as it clattered to the ground below. Kasran winced and his eyes grew wide at the sound. As soon as the noise subsided, towards the entrance of the canyon, a collective shriek rang out from the bulbins.

"Well, there goes our chance of a sneaky getaway," Link told him almost amusedly. "Bulbins may have terrible eyesight but their hearing more than compensates for that. We have to get out of here fast," he said as he broke into a run across the rugged red sandstone of the canyon top.

"Why?" Kasran asked as he chased after him.

"Karagorks," Link said simply. Karagorks were enormous birds with sharp beaks and talons. They were vicious hunters that the bulbins trained to attack from the air, and to attack places they were unable to reach themselves. Kasran like most soldiers knew of these dreaded creatures.

"Here they come!" Link shouted when his sensitive ears picked up the sound of beating wings. They looked behind them to see several karagorks flying in their direction. Link and Kasran were running dangerously fast over the uneven jagged surface of the canyon top. The path they were racing across narrowed perilously to reveal a sheer drop on either side. Without warning their path broke off to reveal the dried up ravine bed far below. There was about a ten foot gap between their ledge and the safety of the mesa top on the other side.

"Looks like we make a wild leap to safety," Link said almost happily. "If we can make it to the other side, there is a trail that leads back down to the fields. Once we make it to ground level we are free." Suddenly he drew his sword and made a slash in Kasran's direction. Kasran gasped and recoiled in shock, but then he saw that Link had not aimed at him but a Karagork that was faster than the rest.

"Hurry," Link called, "before the rest catch up." As he spoke he took a running start and leaped almost gracefully over the chasm. "Come on," he yelled to Kasran from the other side, "we don't have much time."

"I don't think I can make it," Kasran squealed.

"Don't worry, I will catch you", Link yelled back, "hurry."

"How can I take the word of a murdering, thieving, outlaw traitor?"

Link was completely silent for a moment. His facial expression was hard to read at first and then it became angry. "I may be an outlaw but I am not a traitor or a murderer. Right now the only choice you have is between me and the karagorks. Would you just jump before it is too late?"

Kasran switched his line of vision from the approaching karagorks to Link and back again, then took the chance. Trying his best not to look at the dizzying drop, he leaped across and made the opposite ledge. When he landed his footing was not good and he almost lost his balance. For a few terrifying heart beats he found himself reeling backwards, about to fall, until Link reached out a hand to steady him. Then the two took off running. This side of the ravine top was flatter and wider they felt much safer as they sped along.

"I was hoping we would be able to outrun the birds but by the sound of them I'd say they are catching up. Sooner or later we are going to have to make a stand against them," Link called. Then he looked over his shoulder, "Looks like sooner rather than later."

The karagorks had caught up with them. The duo, yelling their battle cries, turned to fend off the wicked creatures. There were five of them total.

"At least there is not a swarm of them," Link chucked lightly as they fought.

"Why don't you ever seem to take anything seriously, our lives are at stake here!" Kasran yelled furiously as he fought. "You are smiling like this is fun."

"What would you rather me do? Cry and run away screaming? You are the one who is taking things far too seriously," he called back as he cut down the last bird. "Besides," he teased, "this entire mess is your fault. If you hadn't unfairly captured me we would not be in this situation. Let's find some cover before more karagorks arrive."

"My fault?" Kasran cried indignantly. "This whole incident was just a series of unfortunate events. The more I think on it, I wouldn't have had to capture you if you hadn't become an outlaw, so if anyone should get the blame it's you. Speaking of which, earlier by the chasm, you said you were not a traitor or a murderer but you never protested against being a thief. Are you a thief?"

"I have rescued a few people who were unjustly accused of crimes and helped a few people who could not abide by unfair laws, so in a way I suppose I am a thief of sorts."

"What makes you think the laws are unfair?" Kasran asked.

"Simply put yourself in the position of the accused and decide for yourself," he replied. "We can talk politics later if you want but now we really need to find cover."

They hurried down the canyon trail and quickly ducked under an overhang. As they hid they heard the screeching calls and beating wings of the karagorks flying above their hiding spot. The noise was almost deafening.

"Now that's a swarm," Link whispered grinning at Kasran's wide eyed expression and pale features.

"It sounds as if those bublins sent every karagork in Hyrule after us. If they find where we're hiding we are done for," Kasran moaned.

"That thought never occurred to me." Link said with a sarcastic smirk.

The carnivorous birds circled several times before giving up and flying away. Both Link and Kasran breathed a sigh of relief as the sound of the karagorks beating wings receded into the distance.

They waited under the overhang for a little while longer just to be on the safe side. As they waited, Kasran got up the nerve to ask the question that he had been wondering about for a while.

"If you are not, well… evil, how did you become an outlaw?"

Link's eyes lost their amused glint and seemed to gain a pained and angry expression. "I refused to leave Hyrule when I was banished."

He said no more than that and Kasran decided it would be best not to press him. He had seen Link's impressive fighting skills and thought it would be best if he didn't make him angry. A long awkward silence passed between them.

They left the crag and Link led the rest of the way down the path until they were one again on ground level. They rounded the edge of the canyon to the field where the bulbins had attacked the day before. In the distance Link could see a makeshift camp. Based on the standard that stood on a nearby flagpole, he could tell that it belonged to Kasran's troop.

Kasran turned and broke the silence. For this Link was grateful. He detested awkward silences because he never knew quite what to say when they happened. To make matters more annoying they seemed to happen to him a lot when he was with people he did not know that well.

"I would like to thank you for rescuing me," he said quietly. Then he added, "I have learned a lot from you, things I never learned in training. I will never forget your kindness."

Link nearly gaped at him in surprise. The gratitude and compliment were completely unexpected. Based on the way Kasran had been looking at him the night before, he had halfway expected the young soldier to challenge him to a duel for his freedom.

in the

Kasran had found- much to his chagrin, that he had become rather fond of this blond headed outlaw.

"I have decided to let you go," Kasran announced. "If my father ever found out about this though he would probably kill me, metaphorically speaking. So as to not dishonor my father the next time we meet I may not be as merciful."

Link laughed. "You will have to catch me first, which is rather doubtful," he teased. "I will mourn your metaphorical death, and pray that next time your father is irked it will only be a figurative death."

"Ha, ha, Link, and don't be too sure about that, I have been training to be one of the princesses personal guards like my father. Also," he added shyly, "I might even become a better warrior than all of them because I learned some things from the most infamous outlaw. I just won't tell my father who I learned them from. Part as friends?" he asked holding out his hand.

Link smiled and clasped Kasran's hand.

"You are almost too honorable to be an outlaw. I am glad I met you." He paused for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him. "Exactly why were you banished? If it is not too bold for me to be asking," he added hastily.

"It is a bit bold, but if you really want to know ask your father. If he is one of the princess' personal guards he will know," Link replied coldly, "and don't believe the nonsense about my leading a dark army or a duel to the death either. I was alone, and I never even drew my weapon," he finished flatly, his friendly smile losing much of its warmth.

"What happened to your upbeat attitude and smirk? I thought it would be impossible to separate you from your smirk," Kasran teased trying to ease the tension.

Link smiled, "Was that you first sarcastic remark? I am proud of you. Told you it was boring to be serious all the time."

Kasran smiled back then his face adopted a thoughtful expression.

"You say the story isn't true, the princess says it is. I want to know what really happened. How did you get accused in the first place?" Kasran asked in a musing tone of voice.

Link was silent for a moment before he spoke. He found his viewpoint had shifted slightly as he gained more knowledge about the situation. Everything was still speculation but he saw no harm in telling Kasran what he guessed had happened.

"I assume the princess became worried that I would try to take her throne. Whether that was her own idea or someone else's I don't know. Either way she felt she needed to get rid of me. The reason I think this is because I was accused of a nonexistent murder and rebellion. There was not enough evidence to condemn me so she had me ambushed and punished without a trial. I believe she waved aside my plea for due process of the law because there was no crime committed in the first place."

"You're wrong there," Kasran said looking slightly puzzled. "Soldiers were murdered. I lost one of my teachers."

It was Link's turn to look puzzled, this was a new piece of information for him, "How were they killed?"

"Sword by the wound pattern," Kasran replied glumly.

Link felt his brow furrow. This was a new piece of information. Had Zelda framed him or did she really believe he had turned against her or had she used the murders to get at him. If her actions had anything to say for herself it was probably the first. He shook his head clear of the thoughts, knowing how or why could not change the predicament he was in now and it did nothing to justify what had happened to him and the people of Hyrule.

After a short pause Link smiled at Kasran, "You had better be getting back, I am sure you commander is worried about you."

Kasran smiled back and raised his hand in farewell. "By the way, there is one last thing I would like to know."

"What's that?" Link asked.

"Are you really allied with the animals?"

"Am I what?" Link asked confused.

"I heard some superstitious old guards talking about you once. They said that you could call wolves to fight for you, horses to save you, and hawks were your eyes in the sky. I did not believe it at first because animals usually do not like evil people, but seeing that you are not really evil it makes me wonder."

Link smiled, "Actually I can call animals to help me but they are ones that I trained to do so. I can't really ask any creature for help."

"You should show me sometime, maybe when I recapture you."

"You can try," Link said, "but I seriously doubt that it will ever happen."

"Oh, your dagger," Kasran called. He tossed it skillfully so that it landed point first in the dirt right at Link's feet. After a final call of farewell he walked away towards his squadron's camp.

Link cheerlessly watched him go. He would have liked to get to know the ambitious soldier better, but he knew that it could never be because of the sides they were on. Unlike what the soldiers believed it was not even a choice of his that had brought him to this path. He had never thought he would end up in this position, not even in his wildest daydreams.

Link turned and headed in the opposite direction, towards the boulders where he had last seen Ashei, Auru, and Rusl. He did not know if they were still there, but he decided to check anyway. All of the mention of fathers had reminded him of Rusl. He sighed inwardly; an apology was defiantly in order. Once he reached the rocks he found, much to his relief, that they were still there. They all exclaimed his name excitedly when he came into view.

"How did you get away?" Ashei cried, "We were just thinking of raiding their camp to rescue you!" she dashed towards him then stopped awkwardly when she was about a foot away from him. She started to reach out one hand towards him in a handshake then shrugged, tackled him instead, and punched him playfully in the arm.

Instead of answering Link tuned to Rusl. "I am sorry," he said quietly, "I am sorry that I lied to you and disregarded you orders, I did not mean to hur-"

Rusl cut him short with a hug. "I am just glad you are safe, and because of your actions, even if I did not agree with them at the time, Talo and his family escaped did they not."

Link nodded.

"Just don't do it again," Rusl finished with a smile. "Although I have to admit your plan was rather well thought out. Next time tell us about it so we don't blunder after you and accidently ruin it. Sorry about that by the way. You are pretty quick with your scheming whilst Auru and I are getting a little slow." Rusl said with a mock straight face.

Auru snorted in derision

Link grinned. "Don't forget about Ashei though," he said. "We never could have pulled it off without her talents in creating diversions and irritating the enemy."

"Well now that we no longer have to rescue you I say we leave this area as soon as night falls and it is safe for us to travel," Auru said slightly peevishly. He stepped close to Link and laid a hand on his shoulder, "I am glad you are safe, Link."

As soon as night fell they headed towards the safety of the forest. Ashei smiled at him as they walked along.

"You are more slippery than a Hylain Pike, the way you escape so easily. Maybe the reason for this easy escape was all that mud you had on yourself; it must have made you pretty slippery. I have to admit it was absolutely hilarious watching you fall in it. You looked completely ridiculous." Then she started laughing at the memory.

Link gave her a withering glare before chuckling. "It would have been even funnier," he said between laughs, "if you had been the one who was pushed into the mud."

"That was very rude Link," she said, still laughing, as she punched him in the arm again. "That was just the sort of thing I expected to hear from a common outlaw."

"Outlaw yes, common no," he replied with a mock arrogant face.

"Well if you're uncommon, I suppose that means I am extraordinary."

Phew, that was a tad bit longer than usual but I guess it makes up for shortness of some of my other chapters. I am not usually super big on OCs but in Twilight Princess there are a few short soldiers about 2-3 inches taller than Link and so I thought I would give one a face and a character sort of like what I did with Chefa and Arscair (some of those knights are pretty fat looking lol. They should stop lazing around and go on a diet) I have given in to my reviewers and have officially given Link the first actual hint of a clue that something is a bit off, but his judgment is clouded by his anger and the hint was a bit too small for him to really pay attention completely yet, but still, small steps. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I wish you all a pleasant rest of the week. Until next time!

* * *

**QUESTION:**

If you were Link, what enemy would be the most terrifying for you to face? (excluding the main antagonists)

My top four (in no particular order) would probably be koloktos, redeads, TP armaghoma and moldrach. (I have issues with demonic looking attacking statues, zombie mummies, and giant poisonous attacking insects, especially spiders and scorpions. I find them fascinating but I think that fascination would disappear pretty quickly if they were impossibly huge and attacking me. :D) but enough of my random ramblings.


	14. To Prove Ones Worth

**A/N**: Hey everyone! I apologize for the day late update. I have had a horrendously busy week (swimming in the ocean, but that is beside the point) but thanks to a night off I managed to get out this next chapter (it was hard to pull myself out of the water to get this done). I had a lot of school work to do early so I could go on a small vacation so I was actually busy for the first third of the week; (I really have no excuse for the last third of the week.) I thought it was high time I brought another of my favorite TP characters into my book. As I have been writing this I wondered about Shad and how he would be coping as an outlaw in the forest so I thought it was about time to bring him in.

**Generala**- Dead hands are very creepy; they scared me too when I first played. Yep the first of a hint to Link, the poor dude, whether or not he listens or pays attention is another matter, it all plays towards my climax. (I don't know if that is comforting or not but it's getting close.) Thanks! :D

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony**- That sounds like some memory O.O thank you for the compliment that was sooo nice of you to say, I am feeling a lot of Ghirahimish rainbows. :P Kasran is going to try to be careful and watch his words so they don't get him into trouble, but sewing a little bit of doubt into the princess's troopers would be very helpful to Link. You are a very shrewd deductive reason-er, :D

**Mortal Draw**- thanks! Yeah, I think it would be hard for any guy to top the amazing Link. :P

**Fatal Strike**- D'aawww, that was super nice of you to say!

**xXx skytale xXx**- Yeah that is a bit delusional :) You shall just have to wait and find out. I agree with you about monkeys.

**ArianandXaia**- There might just be :D

**Guest**- Thank you. You don't have too much longer to wait before you find out. And, thank you again, for you have just given me great idea for Zelda (regarding Sheik) I'll see what I can do! :D

**DestinyPrincess289**- I have updated! I hope it is soon enough for you (I don't wannna go to the dark world ;_; whaaaaaaa XD )

Also, thank you to **Naruto Sakura Uzumaki**, **Gojira Geek**, and **MiniJen**. After reading your comments I find myself agreeing with you about all the creepy bad-guys you've mentioned. I guess I have way more than four.

* * *

**To Prove Ones Worth**

Link woke to grey overcast morning and found- much to his consternation- that he had overslept. Usually in the morning he was woken by the light of the sun or the loud trilling of the birds. The cloud cover had substantially dimmed the brightness of the sun, and he had not heard any birds that morning. He hurriedly tried to make himself presentable whilst running towards the center of camp, hoping he was not too late for breakfast. When he reached the cooking fire he was met by a smug looking Ashei.

"Looks like you slept in this morning. Decided you needed some beauty sleep, yeah? Well you defiantly needed it."

"Well at least there's hope for me," he teased back. "It must be doing some good because people have stopped running from me, unlike you."

Ashei feigned indignation as she tried to think of a clever biting retort, but she was interrupted by Rusl's approach.

"Link, I hope you have not forgotten that you offered to teach some of the newer outlaws, who have no skill with a bow whatsoever, to shoot straight today,"Rusl said with a grin.

Link shook his head, he had not forgotten. He had spent the late hours of the night before polishing his bow and making sure the string was well waxed.

Ashei glared at him, "Oh you didn't forget that you were going to help random newcomers but you managed to forget that you and I had hunting duty today."

"Oops,"he sheepishly admitted when the realization dawned on him.

"How, might I ask, do you expect to be in two places at the same time? Let me guess, the rookies need help so that's where you will go and I will have to bring back enough food for the entire troop myself."

"I'm sorry Ashei," he said miserably.

Rusl just stood there watching them amusedly as if he were getting some enjoyment out of their argument.

"Knowing you, you probably offered to help to help Shad make beeswax bars and store the honey he found yesterday as well," She complained as she gestured over at Shad who was, at that moment, walking past them.

He had a large jar of honey in one hand and an open book in the other. He was staring at the book intently, muttering something about birdsong.

"Like you haven't done anything like this before?" Link protested sarcastically.

Ashei was about to retort when her witty insults were interrupted for the second time that day, this time by a surprised cry from Shad. He was so absorbed in his book that he had failed to notice the root sticking out of the ground right in the middle of his path. He tripped and fell into the arguing duo, knocking them to the ground amidst a shower of broken pottery and the freshly gathered honey, the most of which splattered onto Link.

He and Ashei picked themselves up off to the ground to the sound of Rusl's laughter.

"You!"Ashei directed her ire to the hapless Shad, "Would it be too hard for you to watch where you are going for once in your life! And you!" she turned furiously to towards Rusl's laughing form, "You could have warned him of the root, or us of his impending clumsiness!"

Link glanced from his honey, sand, and dried pine needle coated tunic to Ashei's furious face and finally to Shad's miserable expression and he couldn't help bursting into laughter with Rusl.

"You Ordonians are mad!" Ashei whirled furiously to face him, "You do realize you are going to have to teach the newcomers in you undergarments, because that honey will take hours to wash out." Then she sniggered at the thought of the embarrassingly ridiculous picture her words had painted.

Link had no worry about being forced to teach in his undergarments; unlike some of the other outlaws he had a spare set of clothing. Rusl, because he had felt slightly guilty, had offered to wash his tunic. About five minutes later Link headed over to where the new recruits were waiting for him. His green tunic was replaced by a more elaborate blue one that had been made by the Zora's.

This armor had been given to him as a gift for saving the Zora prince Rails. Zoras were sometimes known as river folk because they spent the majority of their lives in the water. They had the ability to breathe in it similar to fish. They were swift, agile, and powerful swimmers. Although they could function on land, they were a bit ungainly out of the water. Chainmail

This tunic had been a kingly gift. It was lightweight. The only metal was a light flexible plate-mail that wrapped around the torso to make it light-weight enough for swimming. Fixed to the plate-mail towards the top was a blue sapphire medallion that had magical properties. It was this, coupled with a cloth that wrapped about the nose and mouth, which gave him the ability to breathe under the water for long periods of time. When not in use, the black cloth hung down in the front similar to a bandana and covered the medallion. He wore black pants and tucked theses into his boots. He hardly wore this tunic for several reasons. It was a bit ornate for his tastes, it was not very travel worthy for the armor was not that strong, he did not want to ruin it, and the bright blue and black did not blend in with the surrounding forest. He had an armet style helmet that went with the tunic but he did not feel like wearing it.

As he walked along he saw Shad hurrying towards him. He looked as if he had something on his mind so Link waited for him to catch up.

"I wanted to apologize for the incident with the honey earlier. I would like to make it up to you."

Link was about to protest and say that this was unnecessary, but Shad held up his hand in a gesture asking for silence as he hastily continued speaking.

"I could not help but overhear that you are short a hunter. I would like to offer my humble services, and take your place for hunting duty today."

"Shad,"Link said hesitating, "I would gladly welcome your help, but are you sure?"

"I know that I am not much of a woodsman or fighter," Shad admitted quietly, as he smoothed his short slightly wavy auburn hair back in a nervous gesture. "Please do not tell anyone I told you this but sometimes I doubt I am much use to anyone here. Outlaws are not exactly scholars- so my normal skills are useless. I would like to try my best and prove I can be of some help. Please, it would mean a lot to me."

Link smiled, "If you really want to hunt, be my guest." Shad had looked so utterly dejected that Link could hardly refuse him. "Thank you for your offer it will free up my schedule a bit." He bit his tongue before he asked the question that was tormenting his mind, that being 'you do know how to fire a bow, don't you?'

Shad was about his age maybe one or two or years older. Although he was a bit taller than Link he looked as if he had never engaged in any sort of strenuous physical activities in his life, right down to his slightly odd clothing with its rich design denoting someone from the upper classes. It made sense then that he appeared not to be very physically strong. Admittedly, Link knew that he did not have the expected muscular physique of a hero, a hulking person with bulging muscles, but years of farm work had made him quite strong even if he did not completely look it. Perhaps Shad was the same way, although Link had his doubts.

**~x~X~x~**

Shad smiled happily as he ran to find a bow, admittedly he had never fired one before in his life, but how hard could it be? It didn't look so hard when Ashei and Link shot them. He decided he would have no trouble learning on the job. After all, he had observed many people using them and he was positive he could figure it out.

As he walked to his chosen hunting spot, near the edge of the woods, the sky became noticeably darker and he felt a light chill wind start blowing in from the north. In reaching his desired spot, he took out the bow and figured out how to fire it by sticking the notch in the back of the arrow to the bowstring.

He tried to draw the arrow back. He was about to grip the butt of the arrow with his thumb and forefinger but then stopped when that looked wrong. He tried again, trying hard to remember, and then he rested the notched end between his fingers with his forefinger above the butt end and his third and fourth fingers below it. Smiling when that looked right, he drew the string back, sighted at a tree trunk, and fired.

He yelped with pain as the string slapped painfully into his arm. He rubbed his arm miserably, positive that the strings impact had left a welt. To make matters even more discouraging his arrow had only flew a few feet past the bow.

He frowned miserably and felt like hitting his head against a tree trunk when he remembered the fact that Link wore a gauntlet on his left arm that protected not only the outside of his arm but also the inside.

"Need something," he muttered. He looked around him until he spotted a large curved piece of bark on the ground that would fit the inside of his arm perfectly. He pursed his lips, deep in thought, and then smiled as he undid his bowtie. He placed the bark over the soft flesh of the inside of his arm and tied it in place with his bowtie. 'Not bad,' he thought to himself as he eyed his handmade gauntlet. Now that he was ready, he tried again.

After several failed attempts he finally succeeded in launching an arrow, however, getting it to go in the direction he intended was a different matter entirely. Mathematically, he knew the right positions and angles best make a successful shot, but he was having trouble acting on his knowledge. To hit something he would have to get quite close, a task that was proving to be exceedingly difficult. All the animals seemed to sense his approach before he even came within his short firing radius.

A few hours of failed attempts later, his feet were tired and he began to assume this was a wasted trip. Everyone would think him even more useless if he came back without a kill, whereas if he came back with a kill he would almost be heralded as a hero. He needed to succeed.

Finally he located a plump rabbit. It had the appearance of being exceedingly lazy and as luck would have it, it was facing upwind and away from him, seemingly not paying attention to the world around itself as it idly munched on plants.

'Finally,'he said to himself, 'a hare of inferior intelligence.'

All he had to do was hit the mark. The fat rabbit hopped off carelessly towards the open field and Shad followed in the stealthy manner of a cat stalking it prey. Or at least he hoped that was what he was doing. The hare finally stopped near a patch of clovers and Shad took aim. He just needed to get a few steps closer and he would finally be able to prove his worth. Then as he inched forward, he tripped on a root and fell to the ground the resounding thud from his body's impact startled the rabbit and it bounded away.

"Curse theses blasted roots! I was not meant to be an outlaw," he muttered to himself despondently.

"It's a pity you became one then," an unfamiliar voice sneered somewhere nearby.

Shad looked up, startled to see a knight standing off to his side, sword drawn. He had been so busy watching the rabbit that he had not been aware of the soldier's approach.

"You are worth a fair bounty my friend," the knight said with an unpleasant smile."If you are smart you will not go for that bow."

Shad looked towards the fallen bow, and tried to discreetly feel for his dagger that he kept on his person. A rush of panic hit him when he felt it was not in its sheath at the side of his belt. He groaned inwardly as he recalled its location, he had used it as a bookmark and had left that book at camp for fear of ruining it.

Even if he did have his dagger, he thought miserably, it would hardly be of any use against a knight who was most certainly a better fighter than he was. He glanced towards his bow again but even if he somehow managed to get it loaded before the knight attacked he was almost positive he would miss. He hopelessly wished that knights challenged people to battles of wits instead of battles of swordsmanship and strength.

His knew his only option was to surrender. He stared at his enemy frantically looking for some weakness as he stood slowly and raised his hands above his head. The knight had a small dagger tucked haphazardly into the side of his belt. The hilt of the knight's dagger was engraved with his family crest, a symbol of his knighthood. This gave Shad one last desperate idea. As the knight walked towards him to arrest him Shad pretended to trip and made sure to fall directly onto the knight so as to knock the dagger to the ground. The knight did not notice this because he was too busy yelling at Shad, calling him a clumsy fool. Shad was captured, tied up, and slung across the knight's horse in an undignified manner. The knight turned his steed in the direction of Hyrule castle, unaware of the clue he had left behind.

'I may be clumsy,' Shad said to himself as he bounced around uncomfortably on the cantering horse, 'but at least I am no fool.'

**~x~X~x~**

Link had finished his archery lesson early and he decided to use what was left of his day to see if Shad needed any help with his hunting so he headed off to find him. He had seen the direction Shad had taken when he left, and soon he came across his trail. It was most defiantly not hard to find or follow.

In the spot near the open field his trail crisscrossed and circled around a lot.'Shad must have an interesting hunting technique,' Link thought to himself as his eyes skeptically roved over the mass trampled grass, trying to read the story written there.

Link called out Shad's name but there was no reply. An faint odd sense of foreboding crept into his senses and he began to feel worried. At the edge of the mass of trampled grass there was a patch of flowers and all the ones in the center were completely smashed. They appeared to be recently crushed. This was the start of a trail that led straight to the open field. Shad's trail abruptly ended in a large indentation of bent down grass, as if Shad had tried to army crawl or had fallen.

As he was puzzling over the scene, his eye caught something shiny, a dagger, and near the dagger another set of footprints and the marks of a horses hoofs. Link groaned aloud, he knew what had happened, this was entirely his fault. He should have never let Shad go off wandering alone.

Shad was a part of the Resistance and they were the second most wanted group of people in all of Hyrule and as such he had a sizable bounty on his head. Shad was one of his best friends and he was sure to get the death sentence, Link could not allow that to happen. He had to do something. Unfortunately he had no idea where Shad had been taken and it would take ages to track the horse.

He stared at the dagger in his hand it was not Shad's, it was a weapon he had never seen before, but he had seen the crest on the hilt before. The crest belonged to one of the princess' highest ranking soldiers. If the dagger's owner had captured Shad then Shad was most likely being taken to the dungeon of Hyrule castle.

He let out a groan and slammed his fist against a nearby tree in frustration. Out of all the places for Shad to get taken to it had to be the one place that posed the greatest threat to him- the one place he had no desire to see ever again.

"Why?!"he demanded of the sky of the trees of Farore, Din and Nayru or anyone who would listen. As he said the word, he realized he meant it for more than Shad's recent capture and the dangers of trying to save him. It was a cry against his present circumstance but it went deeper than that. He had tried to ignore it and pretend it was not happening but there was no point in denying it any longer- he had noticed that his wolfish ability to sense had diminished and he felt disconnected from everything, ever since that day. It was almost as if the triforce of courage did not agree with his present course of action or circumstance. On his quest to save Hyrule from Twilight he could almost feel the thrum of its presence inside him, almost as if destiny had been subtly guiding him and assisting him. As soon as he had realized what it was, he had welcomed the comforting feeling. This time however, he felt nothing, only an empty void. To top it all off there was this new development. He had not been able to protect Shad when he needed it, all because of a stupid oversight on his part. Trying to rescue him could get them both killed. 'Why?' He had intended the word for everything; it was the one nagging question that had stuck with him from the start. It all seemed so utterly pointless. So many lives uprooted and for what?

He hit the tree again with a growling cry of anger. Then with an obvious effort he composed himself. Shad's occupation put him at the top of the sought after list which in turn put him at the top of the execution list. There was no time to waste; he had to get there before it was too late. He brought out his horse call and played. He was going on a rescue mission… again. 'I should make rescue my official business and start charging rupees if this kept up any longer,' he decided with a rueful smile.

* * *

**Did you like it so far? I feel sorry for Link and Shad right now… and this time Link is actually going to the castle…**

**QUESTION:**

**If you were Link which game/adventure do you think would be the most **

**difficult for you accomplish?**


	15. Infiltrating a Castle

**A/N:** Hello guys! Sorry for the delay, my internet connection was fried yesterday (on my computer) from the time I came home from school till about eleven o'clock at night. By then it was so late I just decided to wait until today. I think it is only fair to tell you that this story is about three quarters of the way through (just to let you know because people read fanfics as they are written so they don't have the benefit of looking at a complete chapter selection or the ability to physically see where one is in a printed book, the only way they know is if the author tells them. I am kind of one of those people who likes to know where they are so if any of you are like that I hope this helps. :). So my inspiration for this chapter actually came from a ridiculous conversation between my sister and I one night when we couldn't sleep. We were debating on the best ways to break into or lay siege to some of our favorite fantasy castles (from a military viewpoint), by noting their weaknesses and strengths and Hyrule castle was on the list. Boredom works wonders sometimes (and before you ask, Yes, my sister and I have some very pointless geeky random conversations. :P) I hope you all enjoy.

**xXx skytale xXx-** yeah no kidding :D

**Generala-** one can only hope :)

**MiniJen-** Thanks. :) When I fist tried archery I actually didn't slap my arm with the string fist time but both of my parents and my brother did when they tried (oww XD) I guess I was lucky. To answer your question, there is a very high probability that Link and Zelda are going to see each other.

**Gojira Geek- **I haven't defeated those ones ether, but I do hope to best them too someday soon.

**ArianandXaia-** The triforce of courage does not support his hatred of the person with the triforce of wisdom. He is not feeling any support from the triforce of courage because he is going in the wrong direction and just doesn't know it. His destiny does not support revenge on Zelda (not that it's exactly his fault) but there is a good chance it can be set right, to answer your hope. :D

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony-** iiruI'JF231%dcvns#efhhzxkz *head smashing against keyboard* aughhh, that is the third time that something like that has happened :( and to think I even proof read this. I suppose that is what I get for typing fast and carelessly. Thank you so much for drawing my attention to that blip, I am so sorry about that. I am going to do a major edit on this and will soon have it taken care of. Oh, no, I hope you have three times an many awesome memories as you do those evil torturous ones :D (I hate those). Yeah I agree with you about the water temple, it is almost a guarantee that I will either die, get lost, confused, or take ten times longer than any other temple when I enter those evil things. :)

**ammabee-** Smart phones, those are so hard to type on; especially for people like me who were not blessed with the most slender and delicate of fingers. :P Thank you for your reviews they were very encouraging and helpful. Thanks for the advice. I am slowly working my way through what I have already written to smooth it over and edit it, it is rather rough around the edges still but I'm working on it. I will be bringing in Ilia in a couple of chapters, and maybe Fado I am not sure yet (I like the dude I just am not sure of the logistics of fitting him in so late in the book, Link ran away from Ordon before I could introduce him, and he has to stay with his goats,(shepherds duty/honor :) I have been trying to keep my fic as accurate in all things as possible. When I write any stories whether it is my own or a fan fic I always like to look at the maps of the land so that way I am less likely to have inconsistencies in the geography, I'm glad you noticed and approved of my meager effort, yay! *dopey grin* thanks for the compliments. Cool, what do you teach? I still haven't gotten through the first game so I am highly inclined to agree with you. :D

* * *

**Infiltrating a Castle**

It was night when Link reached the castle. The sight of it up close for the first time in months played with his emotions. It seemed to stand as a taunting testament to everything he had lost. He could not help but make a face back at it.

Epona had been especially jumpy and nervous and she pawed the ground anxiously with her hoof. He stood behind a cluster of boulders and she stood behind him whickering softly. He looked at the outer wall of the castle and tried to think of a way to get inside. There were two sets of walls he had to get past, the wall that surrounded Castle town, and the wall that surrounded the actual castle. The gates were shut and barred at night and there were wall sentries all over the place. Waiting for daybreak was out of the question. Even with the help of the cover of darkness it would be near impossible to get through. If he were to be caught, he shuddered to think what might happen, probably something worse than the death sentence. Epona pushed her nose hard into his back causing him to jump slightly. He turned to face her.

"What was that for?" he asked her peevishly

She whinnied nervously, sniffing the cold breeze that came from the north before nipping at him. She caught the short sleeve of his tunic between her teeth and pulled him slightly away from the castle. She whickered nervously again before settling her large sad dark eyed gaze on him.

"What are you trying to tell me?" he asked her returning her stare. He was usually able, or at least thought he was able, to guess at what she was thinking. He had actually been able to speak to her when he was in wolf form and it almost seemed like a slight remnant of that skill still lingered with him when in human form. The problem was that with his faded senses he could not get a clear message. It was like trying to see distinct details through a fog. He was sure she was trying to warn him about something but he was not exactly sure what that was. He had a vague impression that it had something to do with the wind but he was not positive. It could easily be something else- like his present course of action. Animals could feel premonitions of danger, not only for themselves but for those around them.

"If you want to tell me not to break into the castle there is no use trying to stop me, my mind is made up."

She snorted at him and he starred deep into her eyes trying to understand what she was so upset about.

Her dark eyes glistened like the moonlight reflecting off the water in a stream. His heart leapt with joy, he knew how to get into the castle. Water was the key. Hyrule had a slight weakness; their water came from Zora Domain it flowed in from a large deep stream through the castle by a large iron grating similar to a drain. From there the stream flowed into an aqueduct to be transported to wherever it was needed in the city. The water was deep where the grate was positioned and last time he had been that way, several months ago, he had noticed that the grating was in need of some maintenance. He had a tiny hope that the grating might still be weak near the bottom. It was a small hope but it was worth a shot none the less. It was about the darkest part of the night and there was little chance that he would be spotted if he were under the water. Now that his plan was made, he was glad that he had been forced to change into the clothes that helped to give him the edge in the water.

"I want you to go home," he told Epona, "you won't be able to follow me where I am going. Also, this trip will most likely take up the entire night and I don't want the wall guards to spot you in the morning."

He patted her muzzle and she nudged him lightly before turning to trot away, in her usual understanding manner. She turned back towards him neighing nervously one last time before breaking into a run.

He headed towards the river and quietly lowered himself into the water- gasping at the frigid temperature. The river seemed to be colder than it should have been at this time of year, and the current was moving faster than normal. Taking a breath he dove downward. He swam underneath the surface, the magic medallion giving him the ability to stay below abnormally long. The thick cloud cover was obstructing the light of what would have been a full moon. The dark of the night caused him to almost lose the ability to see completely. He was engulfed by the swirling blackness of the icy water as the current pushed him swiftly towards the castle's thick outer wall.

He did not see the drainage grate until he smashed into it, and he became plastered to the iron bars by the push of the current. It was solid all along the top and he painstakingly maneuvered himself downward feeling for any weakness as he went deeper and deeper. A mischievous smirk lit his face as he felt a break in the iron bars. He felt around it to find that it was a small jagged opening and thought he might be able to squeeze through. As he wormed his way through, for once he was rather glad that he was not a big buff guy. His shoulders and upper torso became stuck for a moment but with a bit of help from the current he managed to make it through.

The water flowed straight into the aqueduct and he traveled along it until he judged he was far enough away from the wall and wall guards. He climbed out of the water, cold and shivering. It almost felt like trying to swim in a spring mountain stream made of snow melt. He ducked into a nearby alleyway to take a breather. He squeezed himself between two crates to shelter himself from prying eyes and the frigid northern breeze.

There were two branches of the aqueduct that went to the castle and one of these traveled under the inner castle's wall by an underground system that was similar to a catacomb. This waterway led directly into the cistern that was in the dungeon, which was meant for security against sieges. He knew this because he had broken into the castle that way before during Ganon's reign when his traveling companion was wounded and needed help from the imprisoned princess. Telma's bar, the Resistances old base, had a passage that lead to the catacombs but the aqueduct was a more direct route based on his current position.

When he was ready, he eased himself quietly back into the water and took the turn that led to the catacombs. The aqueduct ran into a dark tunnel then ran steeply downwards for a short time until it leveled out into the underground water way. This opened wide with a stone walkway on either side. He crawled out of the water and cheeked his surroundings.

The catacombs were dark and dank and the faint drip of water echoed through the murky passage. He tried to make every footstep a silent as possible for the slightest noise echoed fearfully loud through the gloom. The passage was nearly as dark as a night without stars and, for a while he walked very slow, feeling his way along. Every curve and bend in the tunnel was agony for it was too dark to make out what lay ahead of him. If he was not careful he could bluster straight into the enemy. The thought made his spine tingle and he concentrated hard on listening so he might get a hint if he were near any foes. However, the only noises he encountered were the drip form the walls, the quiet rush of the aqueduct, a few squeaks of rats, and his own breathing.

He rounded the last bend and caught a glimmer of torch light far ahead from the cistern room and dungeon. As he walked closer the firelight played of a dark shape near his side and he noted that it was a set of stone steps leading up to a heavy wooden door. That door led to the inner castle's gatehouse. It would do for an escape route since it would be nearly impossible to climb back up the aqueduct.

That mental note was the only planning he had made so far for getting out, and getting out would be the hardest part. He needed to stop dashing headlong into situations without thinking them entirely through, he decided as he slunk quietly down the darkened path. He emerged inside the large circular shaped room that held the cistern and the staircase that led to the dungeon. A few torches lit up the circular room from their sconces on the darkened bricks. The barred door that led to the prison cells was just ahead of him. The single sentry guarding the door was fast asleep. The key to the dungeon door and all the cells was hanging off a hook on the guard's broad belt. Link pushed his tangled wet hair out of his eyes before he bent down silently and reached for the key ring.

As soon as he was inside the actual dungeon area, he scanned the nearby cells. If he was wrong about where he thought Shad was being held, it might be too late for both of them. His worries were relieved when he saw Shad's face peeking out from behind the bars of a cell. One arm was through the bars. Shad was concentrating hard on a thin metal object he was using to fiddle with the lock on his prison. Link padded silently towards him.

"May I be of any assistance?" he asked with a grin as he found the key to the cell and unlocked the door.

Shad jumped and his face went white before he let out a sigh of relief. " Link! I cannot even begin to find the words to express how grateful I am to see you," he gasped happily. "They planned to have me publicly executed some time before noon, and I was getting nowhere with my file."

Link glanced at the wire thin file Shad was holding in his hand.

"I carry it around with me because, well, one can never tell when something like this may prove to be useful," Shad explained quietly. "I assume you have an escape plan."

"Well, I have half of an escape plan; I'm still working on the other half."

"Half a plan is better than no plan at all. Listen," Shad said seriously, "I am terribly sorry that you had to come to all this trouble to rescue me. Speaking of which, how exactly did you get in here?"

"The aqueduct and the catacombs," Link said simply. "The problem is one can go down an aqueduct but not up it. In the catacombs there is a staircase that leads to the gatehouse. Unfortunately we will have to make it outside the castles gate, through CastleTown and finally through the outer wall of the city to get away."

"So I assume we are going to need a disguise," Shad mused. "You don't suppose the gatehouse might have some extra soldier uniforms do you?"

"I was hoping that it might," Link whispered as he as shut and locked the cell door.

They slipped quietly through the heavy wooden dungeon door. Link quietly shut and locked that up as well before hanging the keys back on the belt of the snoring guard. Link led the way to the catacombs and they walked silently towards the door that led to the gatehouse. As they walked past the cold black water something pulled at the back of Link's mind but he couldn't put his finger what it was. There seemed to be an enormous sense of foreboding surrounding this castle. He did not know whether this sense was there because of some evil lurking nearby or just because of his nerves. Every nerve in his body was on high alert his muscles were tense and ready to spring into action at a moment's notice. It was absolutely terrifying to be sneaking about so near the enemy, terrifying, yet strangely exhilarating. The gatehouse door was unlocked and they stepped inside. Inside there were only two sleeping guards and they were easily knocked out.

As the sun rose, two soldiers, with their helms pulled low over their eyes, headed out of the inner walls in the direction of CastleTown's main square. Link, for he was one of them, signaled to the other who was Shad, gesturing that they should head down a side ally instead of risking the more highly populated route.

They were just about to make it to the ally when they heard a harsh command to halt. Link had bucked his sword to the left side of his belt in the same fashion the knights carried their weapons and he had been trying his best to hide its distinguished hilt with his sleeve. When he heard the yelled command he was tempted to move his arm and grasp his hilt but he quelled his urge. Instead, he and Shad tuned nervously around to see a knight commander with a troop of soldiers in formation behind him.

"Exactly what do you think you are doing? We are supposed to be lining the main square for the princess's speech. Get into formation immediately," The commander called out in the authoritative tone of a drill sergeant. "Rookies," he muttered under his breath.

Link and Shad glanced at the line of soldiers and quickly replied with a "Sir yes Sir." A space was made for them towards the middle of the line. They fell in step with the troop as they headed towards the most densely populated area in all of CastleTown.

As they marched Link saw Shad tremble slightly in front of him, a sentiment he himself wanted to echo. Their helms did not cover their faces completely and they both knew it would only be a matter of time before they were discovered.

Once they were inside the town's busy center the commander called out an order, because neither Link nor Shad had ever been in the army, they had no idea what the command meant. They hastily mimicked the other solders, pretending to know what they were doing. The troop lined the courtyard halted then swiftly tuned outward so that they were standing at attention shoulder to shoulder.

Link watched as a trumpet was blown and the princess was announced. Right on cue, the princess, flanked by her personal soldiers, ascended a platform at the front of the square. His heart seemed to twist inside his chest as he caught sight of her standing tall and proud in her royal raiment. He averted his gaze and stared fixedly downwards as if the ground was of particular interest to him. The princess giving a speech in the square was nothing new or out of the ordinary. She had often given encouraging and informative speeches to her subjects. Link, however, had a sneaking suspicion that he was not going to enjoy this one much. This was the last place he wanted to be at the moment, but there was no chance of him going elsewhere. He did not want to see his enemy, let alone be anywhere near her.

Zelda ascended the stage's platform. Giving public speeches was something she had once enjoyed, but this was just a sick parody of what she used to do. The Empress had forced her to memorize a truly heartless speech in honor of Shad's execution. She hoped with all her heart that Shad would find a way to escape or someone would rescue him before it was too late. In fact it was a bit more than a hope, it was more like trust. She was almost positive that Link or a member of the resistance would try to pull off a rescue but the outlaws were running out of time. She had even tried her best, the night before and today, to thin out the watch in the dungeon and ramparts as much as she could without her enemy noticing. She gave a despairing glance at the audience as she opened her mouth to speak.

"Our kingdom has been divided by the lawless traitors that live in the woods of our land. Their disrespect for our kingdom and its values threatens our very way of life. These outlaws are tainting Hyrule's name. Our very lives are threatened."

Shad listened to her speech for a moment until his name was mentioned and list of his evil deeds and upcoming execution was brought up. Then he tried his best to ignore her words because the mention of his death, even if he was relatively safe at the moment, was making him feel queasy. He swayed slightly, feeling the color drain from his face.

Link, noting his discomfiture, lightly and discreetly laid a supporting hand on his arm. Shad felt strength in Link's touch and steadied himself. He started listening again once the subject was changed from him to Link.

"I understand that this problem will never be fully resolved until the leader of these rebels is brought to justice. I blame myself for this. If I had dealt with him according to the law as soon as the problem arose our kingdom might not be in the situation we are in now. I apologize for my indecisive actions, at the time I could not bring myself to destroy him, and my lack of resolve has led to this."

Cries of "It's not your fault," "you can't blame yourself for this," and "the only one to blame is that traitor Link," rang out from the audience.

Shad glanced over at his friend, wondering if he was sharing in his queasy feelings from a moment ago. Link had removed his hand and was standing rigidly to attention. His eyes were fixed intently downward and it looked as if he were trying to burn holes through the ground with gaze. His face was expressionless but his eyes had a pained look that seemed to grow as Zelda spoke on about his treachery, dishonor, shame, and disgrace.

Link was trying his best not to listen to Zelda but this was almost impossible, his attention was inadvertently drawn to the speaker every time his name was mentioned. He cringed inside every time she spoke. Soon, he was listening intently and he shifted his gaze from the ground to the face of the insulting speaker, his enemy, the person he had once trusted with his life but now despised. She continued her speech.

"I promise that I will right this wrong and bring this traitor scum to justice. I will not hesitate to punish him within the full extent of the law. I will not hesitate to end him. He will pay dearly for his crimes; he will suffer for the pain he has caused our kingdom. I will not rest until his traitorous blood is purged from our country."

As she spoke, she lifted her hand up into a fist and white hot electric sparks formed around her clenched finger. As Link watched, his body shuddered with the painful memory and he grimaced. Without thinking he moved his right hand to hold his stomach near his side and only had barely enough time to stand back to attention as the princess' gaze swung his direction. Her face was lit with a smug smile of triumph as the villagers cheered.

How could she smile over something like that? How could they cheer? He had risked everything to save these people; he had given so much for her. He felt his entire body tremble with rage. His face grew very hot and he could barely see straight. His teeth clenched in a snarl his hand went instinctively to his sword hilt. Momentarily forgetting everything but the princess, he found himself taking a step forward. He felt someone's restraining grip on his arm above his elbow. He turned to see Shad holding on to him, his face terrified and pleading. That look brought Link crashing back to reality and he stopped himself just in time, realizing he had almost given them both away.

As Zelda brought her speech to a close she felt someone staring at her, all the villagers were looking at her but it was not their gaze she felt. This was an intense stare and she instantly knew who the eyes behind it belonged to. She felt her face flush with shame and pain. She finished her speech looking in the opposite direction pretending she had not noticed anything. The least she could do for Link after saying something so cruel was to try her best not to give away his position. She tried to keep the Empress from finding out about him by keeping her mind blank. She wished he had not been there to hear her evil speech. She shuddered to think of the pain it might have caused him, but if he were here it meant that Shad might have a chance. She felt a rush of gleeful pleasure rise up within her when she realized this. As if to confirm her hope, a flustered guard ran up to her as she exited the platform calling out that the prisoner was missing.

"Yes," Zelda said with a huge grin. Her joyous grin faded when she felt the Empress prod her.

"Lock down the city! He can't have gotten far! Post sentries at every exit and send out a search party," she heard the Empress command inside her mind, and Zelda had no choice but to obey, and she repeated the order. She knew she would probably pay for that happy exclamation but she didn't care.

Link and Shad dashed into an alley in the confusion that followed. There were only a couple people in sight and they paid them no heed because of their disguise.

"Are you alright?" Shad whispered as they ran, "you looked as if you were about to kill someone for a moment there."

"Just fine," Link answered, "I could ask the same for you, you looked like you were about to faint."

"I've never been better," Shad lied as they ran in the direction of one of the three gates leading to the outside of the city's walls. As they ran the alarm bells tolled. CastleTown had three main gates but they knew their chances of escaping out of any of them dwindled with every passing second. They headed for a tiny side gate that was used by the soldiers. It was in a more secluded part of town and they thought it would be less guarded. The side gate was positioned in the eastern wall and let out not too far from the river he had just used to break into the city.

Link led Shad down the ally that he knew led to the outer walls side gate. Once they rounded the corner they would arrive at their escape route. He gestured for Shad to stop and peeked around the edge. A low growl of frustration formed on his lips as he saw that there were six soldiers guarding the gate.

"There are a lot of them," He muttered to Shad, "It will be hard for us to bluff our way through so many."

"I say we give it a try anyway," Shad said in a barely audible voice.

Link nodded and the two started forward. At the same time a soldier skidded around the corner heading towards the town square.

He seemed started for a moment, instinctively changing his course so as not to crash into them. He saluted in apology and kept on his way. Then he stopped suddenly and turned around slowly, his hazel eyes locking with Link's.

"You know it is my duty to turn you in," the soldier said softly as he reached for his sword. "I swore an oath to my kingdom."

"I know, Kasran," Link replied just as softly as he eased his own sword slightly out of its sheathe, making it easier to draw. "It goes without saying, I don't wish you harm, but I will fight you if I have to."

"The same goes for me."

The two teens eyed each other for several moments, neither of them willing to make the first move. Link stood stalk still in a battle ready position. Shad shuffled his feet uneasily. Kasran looked pained and bit his lip. The tension filled silence grew. Kasran drew a slow breath.

"It is also my duty to pay any debts I might owe," Kasran finally said. "I didn't forget that I swore an oath to a friend also. I don't know why I am doing this for you, you are nothing but an outlaw traitor who happened to save my hide." he said shaking his head, a smirk spreading across his face. "Good luck Link. We will soon be even." With that Kasran turned and ran out of the ally back the way he came.

'Good luck to you rather,' Simiarr thought as he watched Kasran run, 'I hope no ill fortune befalls you for your help.'

"I need back up! I saw them, they are headed towards the main gate If we hurry we can cut them off!" Kasran yelled urgently at the guards by the gate. Five of them broke formation and followed after the young soldier as he ran in the opposite direction, leaving only one guard at the side gate.

Link began to unsheathe his blade, but Shad grasped his shoulder and whispered "If you get seen they will know we are imposters, as of yet, that's to that soldier, our cover has not been blown. Let me handle this one." He swallowed hard. "But if my plan fails feel free to knock him senseless."

Shad walked up to the gate with a confident measured pace. He marched straight passed the guard and Link followed. As they both expected they were told to halt by the soldier.

"The city is on lockdown no one gets in or out," the young soldier said.

"Stand to attention when you speak to a senior officer," Shad said in an authoritative tone.

The soldier stood straighter, hastily apologized as he did so.

"We have specific orders from the princess to go out and find any soldiers on patrol," Shad continued in a deep confident voice. "There is going to be a huge storm and the princess does not want any of our soldiers to get caught out in it."

"There is not going to be a storm," the young soldier said.

"Are you contradicting a commanding officer?" Shad asked imposingly.

"No Sir! Sorry Sir!" the young guard replied embarrassed.

"As I was saying," Shad continued, "there is going to be a storm. Haven't you noticed the thick cloud cover? The strong northern wind? It is going to be a big one too, the birds have not been singing. Also, although I have not checked this yet, I bet that the river currents are faster and colder than they should be. All of these are signs of a massive storm. It might even rival the one that struck twenty years ago."

The guard looked dumbfounded for a moment before replying "be that as it may, we are still on lockdown." He, like Link, had noticed all these strange happenings, especially the part about the river currents and temperature.

Link was finally able to put his finger on one of the things that had been bothering him. It even explained the odd behavior of his horse. If they were not able to get out before the storm hit they could be trapped in the city; that would almost certainly be fatal.

"Well then," Link said, deciding it was time for him to give some support, "I shall tell the princess that you prevented us from doing our duty and you disregarded the command of a senior officer. Also, all the soldiers who become lost in the storm will have you to blame for their misfortune. You will be lucky to get off with a court-martial my friend. What was your name again?" Link asked trying his best to keep a straight face and not burst into laughter at the guard's miserable terrified expression.

"I-I…I…" the young soldier stammered, "go ahead with you duties Sir," He blustered as he opened the gate. Link and Shad exited CastleTown in a dignified manner.

"Very clever," Link whispered to Shad as they left, "lying by telling the truth. Where did you learn about storms like that?"

"My books," Shad whispered back with a smile.

Both of them felt their hearts beat faster as they heard the young gate guard speak again.

"Wait a moment, I remember where I have seen your faces before, and it was not at the knight's barracks. You are the outlaw and the escaped prisoner;" the young guard cried before his raised his voice in a call for backup.

Link and Shad gave up their charade and made a dash for it as several guards hurried down from the battlements to start a chase.

Link glanced behind them to see that the guards still on the wall were readying their crossbows. He saw Zelda racing towards the soldiers on the ramparts. He knew that he and Shad still had several feet to go before they were out of bow shot he dashed closer to his friend as they ran.

Zelda had been instructed to head towards the gates when the alarm was sounded, she was nearly to the side gate when the soldier called for backup. She pounded up the steps to the rampart of her own volition and looked over the edge. She could see two small figures in soldiers' attire being pursued by a troop of guards. The two figures had a good lead on the soldiers and she silently cheered them on. A movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention; one of her soldiers had raised his crossbow as he sighted and aimed. Zelda instinctively knew that Link and Shad were not yet out of bow range. They were wearing soldiers' armor but a lucky shot to any weak point or into the unprotected arms or legs could be fatal considering the circumstances. She knocked into the man, causing his arrow to fly wide. He turned to look at her, surprise in his dark brown eyes.

"Don't fire. I don't want you to hurt them. I can't let you kill Link or Shad." The words tumbled out before she could stop them, but something happened that she did not expect. She heard the Empress laughing in her mind and stared in horror as she heard her words. The Empress had somehow used her magic to diminish the volume of some of her words and the others rang out loudly through the cloudy morning air. It sounded as if she had shouted "Fire! I want you to hurt them! Kill Link!"

All her soldiers brought their crossbows up and fired. One of the fleeing outlaws had heard her shout and at the sound he pushed his companion into the ground and out of arrow range, tuned to face the castle in a swift movement. Her soldiers fired at the lone teen. He back-flipped, hand-springed to the side, twisted, rolled and then dashed out of range in a one deadly fast nonstop motion. He had dodged the first crossbow bolt and his erratic movements had caused all her other solders to miss their shot. She watched as the tiny figure of Link stood and faced the castle; it could be no one else. His helm and the distance between them prevented her from seeing his face, but she could guess at his expression. She watched as He reached a hand down to Shad and the two of them began running again.

Link gave one glance back at the castle and the foot soldiers that were rapidly drawing nearer as he tugged on Shads arm.

"Thanks for saving me from those arrows, but I think you just delayed the inevitable," Shad puffed at his side.

"Don't be to sure, we do have a head start," he said with a grin as they ran for their lives. "We should head for the river," he panted.

Together they turned and sprinted towards the tributary, to a spot that was a little further upstream than the place where Link had entered it the previous night.

Shad caught on to Link's reckless plan and, with a slight whimper, picked an extremely long areed from the patch of reeds they were crashing through. An areed, he remembered form one of his biology books on the vascular growth of water dwelling plants, was a type of reed that was completely hollow all the way through. The soldiers were gaining on them, partially because of their heavy armor and partially because of Shads slower running pace. The two escapers ran up a short rise near the bank that led to a ledge that was about eight feet above the water.

The pursuing soldiers got an excellent view of the escaping fully armored duo as they leaped off the small ledge and into the fast moving river. Once they reached the spot, the guards stood on the ledge for a couple of minutes waiting to see if their quarry would resurface. They did not see a sign of them. The likelihood of surviving a swim in the river in a full suit of armor was not great, it was pure suicide. Assuming that the pair had drowned, they turned and headed back towards the castle as the northern wind blew stronger and the first sprinkling drops of rain began to fall.

* * *

**Sorry, another cliffhanger, oh well. I was inspired at the end by the scene in A Knight's Tale when William is training to joust and he finally gets his lance through the ring, but overbalances and falls into the river in his full suit of armor, and his friends just stand there laughing by the edge of the bank, then when he does not surface they're like "Any second now," and then after about a minute they finally realize that its almost impossible to swim in armor and their friend is drowning XD. So, no, this was not the big climatic meeting between Link and Zelda but I promise it will happen pretty soon, I have a few more pawns to move so the board is set up perfectly. I really want to thank all of you for sticking with this story and continuing to read and review. You guys are so amazing. **

**As usual I'd love to hear some feedback :D I am sure that by now you have probably guessed that I have been trying to write this story in a sort of episodic fashion where each one builds up on the next till I reach the climax. It was a new style I wanted to try because I was a little tired of the typical one rising action falling action plot line that most stories have. It is pretty fun to write this way there are a whole bunch of mini rising actions inside the big one. I hope it has come across well, being the novice writer that I am I know I will probably never reach the standards of the classics in any way but I hope, that it is as fun to read as it was for me to write. What do you guys think of the style? **

**QUESTION:**

**Hyrule is full of different many different races, if you had a choice of visiting any one of the people groups for a day, which would you pick? (If picking only one is too hard to choose from, choose your top three) **

**I think I would like to visit the Hylians/Hyrulians, the Guerdo, and the Sheikah. **

(Although visiting the Minish, Twili, Gorons would be awesome. Actually visiting any would be awesome dang I guess I picked a tough questions, but my fist ones are my top three) :D :) :D


	16. Outrunning a Storm

**A/N:** Next chapter is up. I hope you all are having amazing weeks :D, (Wish you the best of luck on your final exams for those still in school (if you haven't already taken them)!)

**MiniJen- **Thank you! I'm glad that you loved it. You'll just have to wait and see ;). *Facepalm* I forgot about the Rito.

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony- **Oh, *blushes* thank you! And I, Kazi, your mortal minion, humbly thanks Jen the Goddess of Random, from the heart of my bottom ;P. (Thank you so much! Your story The Legend of Fi? is really amazing and one of the funniest I have ever read. (Hey, it doesn't hurt to averitize your story ;) It's what any faithful minion would do). I would like to think of myself as a Sheikah too (disappearing). Then I shall make my brother find you on Minecraft (I don't play :( ).

**AnimeMaster24- **thskzttgwgauilgsrehtsre *Head smashing on key board, (my keyboard is going to break soon)* I can't believe I forgot! Too much test material to memorize… Doesn't everybody want to fly? And don't all men want to be in the Guerdo Fortress's dungeon? XD (JK)

**ArianandXaia- **Thanks ;). I have drawn a picture of her (and lots of other stuff for this story), but I don't know where to post it… XD I got sick the other day and couldn't find anything to watch until I flipped to the SyFy and found Merlin, I was instantly hooked. Just started watching the first season), it's hilarious! They so need better jail cells…

**xXx skytale xXx –** Are you sure? I was so temped to make them drown in this chapter… (jk). Aw, you don't want to visit the Geurdo Dungeon? I am sure that it will help your complexion (JK).

**Guest- **Someone *cough* the Empress *cough* wants that to happen, that someone is just biding their time… (I try to update every Wednesday).

**Generala- **So many choices, and I have to only choose a few… I think I have a plan…. Thank you!

* * *

**Outrunning a Storm**

Link and Shad had leapt into the one of the shallower parts of the small river. Their heavy armor made them sink straight to the streambed below. They were dragged along the bottom of by the freezing fast moving current with no way to resurface.

Link knew that they would both be finished if they kept allowing themselves to be dragged along. He desperately drew his sword with one hand and grabbed Shad with the other. He thrust his blade deep into the muddy riverbed and clung on grimly, halting their headlong progress.

The normal clear of the water was a cloudy muddy green because of the disturbed silt from the rivers abnormal fast pace. They could only see a few feet in either direction. Shad stuck his sturdy long reed out of the turbulent rivers surface and blew out the water that had filled it before he used it to breathe through. They waited under press of freezing water. Link's muscles began to ache. His arms were spread as far as they could go and the frigid water was only making it worse; his limbs were going numb.

Shad used his free hand to get off as much of his and Link's armor as he could. He was almost positive that neither of them could stay below for much longer. He could hardly see the straps and buckles and his numbed fumbling frantic fingers seemed to take ages to complete the task. As soon as it was mostly off, Link yanked his sword free and they headed towards the surface of the water. They were still impeded by the weight of a few pieces of armor but not enough to keep them down if they swam hard. Once they broke the surface they found themselves being carried downstream at an alarming speed. Shad's face was pale and he was already gasping from the exertion of keeping himself afloat. His head went under and he choked as he breathed water. He began to flail. Link, hardly faring any better, grabbed his friend and began to head towards shore. He did not fight the current, but allowed it to drag him along as he gradually eased himself and Shad to shore. After several terrifying exhausting moments Link felt solid ground beneath his feet and he pulled himself to dry land. Once they were on solid ground they both collapsed by the riverbank shivering and breathing heavily as the light drizzle of rain fell upon them.

"How in all of Hyrule were you able to hold your breath for so long?" Shad managed to gasp once he had partially caught his breath.

"I didn't," Link said as he moved the black cloth of his Zora armor slightly to reveal the blue sapphire medallion.

Shad's mouth dropped open, "That is an extremely rare Hyrule artifact that has not been seen for almost two hundred years. How did you come by such a treasure?"

Link raised an incredulous eyebrow at him. They had nearly died and the first thing that came into Shad's mind was archeology? That was defiantly Shad he decided with a smile.

"I'll tell you once we get out of the rain," Link finally replied still shivering. "About two miles up, and across the bridge over this river, there is cave a few feet above the ground disguised by a crag. That is the closest shelter I know of. We had better get there before this storm breaks."

"Agreed," Shad replied. They hurried off as an immense bolt of lightning ripped across the sky and thunder echoed across the land.

They made it too the cave in about a half an hour. The storm seemed to hold off its full force until they were inside. Link had used this cave before and had stashed some dry wood towards the back. After a few missed attempts, due to his shivering, he finally was able to use his flint to start a fire. The two striped off their top layer of soaked clothing in an effort to dry and warm themselves. Link took off his sopping undershirt and wrung it out. Shad followed his example but as he did so he could not help but notice the angry red palm sized starburst shaped scar towards Link's side, marring his toned torso. He remembered that that was what Link had reached for when Zelda had made the lightning on her fist. Shad could put two and two together. He cringed openly at the thought. It was no wonder Link's eyes had looked so pained and angry. He knew better than to mention anything about that though.

As soon as they were both relatively comfortable Shad couldn't help but blurt out, "Exactly how many other rare artifacts are in your position? I have seen two so far. Exactly how you manage to get your slippery little hands upon them without even doing a third of the research I have done is beyond my comprehension."

Link only grinned for an answer as he settled back into the smooth rock of the cave wall. All they could do now was wait for the storm to pass. He had exactly six rare artifacts, his Sacred Bow, Wind Boomerang, Zora Medallion, Sky Rune book, Dominion Rod, and the Double Claw Shots. He watched the rain fall heavily through the cave entrance. Based on his observation of the strength of the storm, he guessed that there would be plenty of time to swap tales about finding atypical antiquities. He would probably also be graced with the pleasurable privilege of getting several lessons about Hyrule history, myths and legends. 'Probably a lesson in natural science and geology as well,' he thought with a sigh.

He gave Shad about five minutes before he would feel the need to become a professor. He could not hide his grin when about five minutes passed and Shad began to speak. It was not that Link disliked learning and discussing topics like that. In fact he rather enjoyed them especially natural science and myths and legends, but he did not enjoy it enough to listen to it for several days. And it quite looked as if this storm had it in its mind to last at least that long. Shad didn't do it to be arrogant and show off his knowledge; he did it simply to hold boredom at bay. 'Perhaps,' Link decided, 'he thought everyone enjoyed those subjects as much as he did.' Shad was obviously exhausted by the day's adventure because he only continued his lecture for about a half an hour before he stopped speaking and started to stare wearily at the fire. It was not long before Link began to feel a bit tired and bored himself.

Shad yawned, "All this running for my life has made me pretty tired," he admitted with a rather bitter smile. He lay down on the cave's less than comfortable ground, near the warmth of the fire, and tried to pillow his head with his arm.

Link watched as Shad fell asleep almost instantly. He got up and placed some more wood on the fire. He settled back down and stared out of the caves mouth for several moments. He could not make up his mind how he felt. Relieved that he was still alive? Elated that he had escaped and was successful? Miserable because he knew that this probably would not be that last time that something this would happen? His victory was satisfying it had to be admitted yet strangely hollow as well. He could have done without seeing the princess, the sight of her living her unchanged life and everything she had said… –he forced his mind to other topics. It was not long before the pattering steady drops of rain lulled him into slumber.

**~x~X~x~**

Shad woke to a soft melodic sound. It had been raining hard and thundering all night so he found it odd that he was woken by something quiet.

He rubbed the haze that had accumulated in his eyes with one hand and fumbled for his glassed with the other. The sky had lightened slightly from the pitch black of night and he saw Link sitting by the mouth of the cave cross-legged, his eyes on the torrential downpour outside.

Shad was puzzled for a moment before he realized that the sound was coming from Link.

"_níl sé ina lá is ní bheidh go maidin,  
solas ard atá sa ghealaigh. _

_Cluinn mo ghuth Mise ri d' thaobh._

_Fàs a's faic, do thìr, dìleas féin._

_A ghrian a's a ghealach, stiùir sinn,  
gu uair ar cliù 's ar glòire."_

His voice was soft with an airy resonant tone to it. Perhaps it was because the song he was singing was in a minor key but it almost reminded him of the mournful howl of a wolf in the moonlight. The language he was signing in seemed to be based off an off-shoot of old Hylain. It used to be the native language of the older provinces. He had studied the old Hylain language and a little bit of the many off-shoots, enough to get a rough translation of the song.

_It's not yet day and won't be till morning, _

_the moon is in high light. _

_Hear my voice I am beside you._

_Grow and see your land, your own faithful land. _

_Sun and moon guide us_

_to the hour of our glory and honor _

His head turned slightly and Shad saw an odd reminiscing, almost venerable, look on his friend's face. When he realized he was being watched the look changed to slight embarrassment then his expression went back to normal.

"Sorry if I woke you…" he started to apologize then grinned, "Actually, no, I'm not. Consider it revenge for all the snoring you were doing last night."

Shad felt his face flush first with embarrassment then friendly indigence before he realized that Link had been teasing again. He shrugged with a smile, and then stared pointedly at his blond friend.

"It was a lullaby my mother used to sing to me," he said softly in answer to Shad's silent query. He looked slightly embarrassed as he continued. "I used to sing it to myself sometimes when I felt alone in a temple or dungeon when twilight controlled the land, it always reminded me of home. Midna hated it, or at least she said she hated it, I caught her humming it to herself one night." He said with a redolent smile. "she…I- I wish she were here, she would know what do…" he said this last part so softly Shad could barely hear it. A sad look of longing entered his cerulean orbs.

"Was she that imp thing that I saw come out of your shadow when we found the sky canon; the one who fought beside you and the princes in the battle against Ganondorf?"

"Yeah," Link said quietly.

"I have heard Zelda speak of her. She gave me a start when I saw her."

"Me too," Link admitted with a chuckle. "I didn't like her at first, she was harsh and manipulative, but when we got to know each other better, and when we both saw how far the other was willing to go in defense our kingdoms…we both started warming up to each other. She became one of my greatest friends." He trailed off and stared blankly ahead of him.

"It was nice to hear music again," Shad said softly trying to change the subject for his friend's sake. "I used to listen to the court music at the castle and when the minstrels came to Telma's bar. It is one of the things I miss the most, along with my freedom, books, and library. I wanted nothing more than to help this kingdom, and devoted myself to its defense -only to have everything I stood for made sport of because of a lie."

Link shot Shad a sympathetic look. And they turned to watch the rain in silence.

"Well at least were having fun," Link said with a laugh.

"Indeed." Shad replied, shaking his head.

The storm had lasted nearly three days. Link and Shad spent the miserably long and boring hours in the tiny cave. All they had to eat were a few soggy biscuits from Link's drenched provisions, and a tiny minnow that Shad found inside his shoe from their time in the river. Link's wood supply had run out relatively quickly, but not before both of them were sufficiently warm and dry. The only good thing, Link decided, as he stared dismally at the falling rain outside the shelter, was that they had no shortage of water. He became extremely fidgety when he had nothing to occupy himself with and he envied Shad's scholarly skill at keeping completely still for hours on end.

For lack of anything better to do he had pulled out his horse call and began to play small melodies on it. His horse call had the look of an aulos flute yet it was more curved almost horse-shoe shaped. It was small enough to wear around his neck like a pendant and he often wore it underneath his tunic. It had the airy sound of a pan flute and although its range was small he could still play many little melodies on it like the ones he used to howl when he was a wolf to call for his sword master. He played several of them, weaving their music with the patter of the rainfall and the moan of the wind. Shad found it highly interesting and asked to learn how to play it.

By the end of the third day he had taught Shad everything in his repertoire. One of the things he liked about Shad was that he always seemed eager to learn something new and share something that he knew in return. Although sometimes he shared a bit more that the listener wanted to hear.

When the storm finally passed, Link and Shad walked through the darkest part of the night to get back to the forest, to avoid detection and unwanted attention. Link breathed in the crisp air as he walked; he loved the smell of the earth after a rainstorm.

"I hope the other outlaws found out about the storm before it hit," Link remarked softly as he walked along.

"I told Rusl that I thought one was coming before I offered to help you hunt, a job that I failed miserably at. Not only are my hunting skills atrocious, but I somehow managed to get captured. I am almost more bother than use," Shad said dejectedly.

"I wouldn't say that," Link replied. "You are observant and clever. You are a deep thinker in philosophical matters and a quick thinker in a crisis, those are all worthy skills."

"That was very kind of you to say, for a warrior you have a kind heart and a deep respect for others, no matter how miserable they are a shooting," Shad said with a grin. "Those are also worthy qualities."

"Yeah now that I think of it, I am pretty worthy."

Shad rolled his eyes in response, by now he was well accustomed to Link's teasing.

They walked the last part of their journey in silence, reveling the ability to see the stars after so many days of clouds.

They arrived at camp right before the sun rose. They were welcomed to their home by the long awaited trills and chirps of the forest birds. Several people were already awake and cleaning away debris from the storm. Rusl, Auru, Telma, and Ashei were among them.

"Exactly where have you two been for the past several days? You had us worried sick," Telma exclaimed when she saw them.

"I went to help Shad hunt and we got caught in the storm. We have spent the last few days in a cave," Link explained simply, mentioning nothing about Shad's capture much to Shad's relief. "The prey got away and we had almost nothing to eat for three days. What's for breakfast? I'm starving."

"You two are completely ridiculous," Telma said smiling. "Ashei is working on breakfast right now. I have no idea what it is. Knowing her cooking skills you two might be better off starving for a couple more days," Telma teased in a loud whisper.

"I heard that," Ashei yelled over from where she was cooking by the fire. "For that rude remark I don't think you will get any of my fine cooking Telma. And don't you two miscreants think for a moment that you will get any either for scaring us like that," she scolded Link and Shad. She laughed at Shad's miserable expression before amending her threat, "don't look so crestfallen, Shad, I was only joking. Why don't you boys lend a hand with this porridge, my arm is getting tired. And you can wipe that smirk off you face, Link, you're on cooking duty tomorrow and you have a double shift because it was your turn three days ago and you skipped out. I had to do it for you, you pointy eared cretin."

"Pointy eared what?" Link gasped in horror trying to look angry, but it was not working because he was having a hard time stifling a laugh. "That does it," he said with a mock injured look on his face. "Have fun stirring all by yourself because we're leaving. Shad cannot abide to be insulted in such a manner."

"You mean _you_ can't abide to be insulted, oh great puffed up arrogant head, Link. She intended the slight for you." Shad interjected with a smile.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that; after all, your ears look more like a cretin's than mine."

"Oh, but I would," Ashei sniggered.

"If that is the case, then all I can say is that it is a good thing that you two were not in charge of making my wanted poster; you make me sound hideous, what with the supposed inflated head and ridiculously pointed ears. I need to have my handsome features portrayed with the dignity I deserve." Link said with a pompous look on his face.

"What dignity?" Shad asked mildly

"Dang it," Link groaned looking suitably deflated; "I keep forgetting that I wasn't born with any."

"All the more reason for you to help me cook," Ashei said handing Link the ladle who quickly passed it to Shad who tossed it back to Ashei.

"So help me, if you three burn breakfast, I am going to make you eat it all," Telma threatened.

"I am almost hungry enough to go for that."

Telma shot Link a murderous glare.

The three teens burst into helpless sniggers and peals of laughter.

* * *

**Yay! Finished that chapter, guess I inadvertently took an action break, oh well. I have dedicated this chapter to the people in the tornado in Oklahoma, my heart goes out to them. Apologies if it seemed boring to you. FYI that song that I made Link sing was actually Gallic (I love their music) I was inspired by the song ****_Nil Se'n La_**** and ****_A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal_**** credits to their original writers. *brushes happy tear from eye* thanks so much for reading!**

**Don't forget to read and review! Feedback is greatly appreciated. **

**QUESTION: **

**Out of all the main antagonists which would be the most nerve-racking to face? (I.E. Ghirahim- Creepiness, person space issues, tongue thing, magic, sadist-ness.)**


	17. Herbs and Remembrance

**A/N:** Hey guys! Might I take this time to wish you all a great/ happy summer! School is officially out for me and I am feeling crazy happy about that. It means more writing time. :D (and more gaming time). So, I decided to take another break from action and this chapter is pretty laid back and a bit short but it is by no means a filler. There is some plot developing going on. Another important note- I have been going through my work with a fine toothed comb to try and work out the mistakes and kinks, (many of which have been kindly pointed out by you my amazing readers, I thank you for that. :D ) Pretty soon I shall post my changes; (probably starting around next week) for the most part I am only correcting spelling and grammar. The overall plot will not be altered in any way. I have been reforming a few sentences where I found them to be slightly awkward, and adding really small amounts of detail where I found it lacking, but that's it. My apologies for not catching them sooner. Thank you all so much for reading!

**Colleentj-** Thanks! Shad and Ashei are awesome, and it would be a shame not to give them a big part, they defiantly need love. :) I apologize for my bad grammar and thank you for your advice. I had noticed a lot of my careless mistakes myself and have been taking time out of my busy schedule to fix it. It is just taking maddeningly long. Any help in that area is greatly appreciated so I thank you. :D

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony- **Thank you, and your welcome. I think music is super inspirational. Congratulations on your speech grade, I would have liked to hear that one, sounds fun! :D. Too bad we can't turn in homework assignments analyzing the scientific reasons why we shouldn't have homework.

**Generala-** I suppose it is a lot like the calm before a storm. I agree with you, those are kind of creepy.

**Minijen-** I would like to see what she would do too, it is an interesting concept. I don't believe she would be too pleased with the state of affairs and what happened to her partner. Thanks!

**ArianandXaia-** That's nice of you to say :) that's cool! I once read a rather scary mystery story at night while my family and I were driving through farm land on vacation. The book took place in nearly the same area and it was about a phantom that attacked in the nighttime; It made it ten times more awesome. XD. I'm glad your friend wasn't hurt, that sounds like some storm! I was about fifteen feet away from a lightning strike myself once. I was knocked to the ground and nearly defend by the boom, it was terrifyingly crazy/cool/amazing/scary! You were right about Merlin, Ganondorf is defiantly nerve racking, and I feel bad for the minnow too. XD

**CuriosityCat- **Thank you! Your Thursdays do sound epic, I love horses! It is amazing how much they can help children! That is awesome of you. So to answer your question, actually yes, I was planning to write a sequel and, aside from that, I currently have two other LoZ stories in my mind that are just begging to be put on paper. I will probably mention this in more detail in the author's note section, probably on the last or second to last chapter of this book so as not to give anything away about this books ending. If people are interested I would be glad to outline ideas and see what they think.

**Gojira Geek-** Yeah I agree with you about those villains! You are quite right, from a gaming standpoint, Ghirahim is just a boss. However, from a literary standpoint I think he qualifies as a major antagonist, which is why I answered it the way I did ,but that is just my personal opinion. Thanks so much for the review. :)

**Guest- **What girl wouldn't have a crush on Link? (Jk XD) It is difficult to say, but as much as I like that pairing, and admit there is a possibility; Ashei is probably going to go the way of, _just friends,_ this time around. I don't think I am going to bring in Midna (despite the fact that she is one of my most favorite characters of all time.) She could probably wreak havoc on the Empress's plan.

Also special thanks to, **xXx skytale xXx, Guest, **and** Hylian Knight.** You guys are epic.

* * *

**Herbs and Remembrance**

The next afternoon Link slipped quietly through the forest. He had spent all morning arguing and discussing various problems with the Resistance and the other outlaws and had tried his best to end all talk of an all out war. He was seeking solitude and relief from the noise and tension. He needed to clear his head; this was something that could not be done with a large group of people about.

He walked along a small mountain stream listening to the quiet sounds of the wood. He was stilled by the delicate beauty of sunlight as it filtered through branches of the trees and made the air sparkle. The glistening sunlight made dancing patterns of light and shade that played across the fragile fronds and flowers of the forest floor. This place was filled with the beauty and peace that he was lacking.

He spotted a flat rock in the shade of a tall tree near a cluster of forest herbs. Deciding it was a perfect spot to rest, he sat down to listen to the light rustling of the breeze and the soft gurgle of the stream as it passed over the rocks of the streambed.

As he sat there his thoughts wandered to his friend Ilia. He had not seen her for months. This was because it was very risky to try to see her, for both him and her. If she were ever hurt because it had been found out that he had seen her or wrote to her, he would never forgive himself. He wished for a way to tell her… tell her something, he was not sure what. Honestly, he did not even know what she thought of him now.

An awful thought struck him, what if she believed he was a traitor like everyone else? As he thought about it though, he was almost positive that she wouldn't think that. They had known each other since they were small children and had played together all the time. If she was accused of treachery he would not believe it. He wanted to tell her that he still thought of her as his friend, but how?

His gaze fell upon a group of plants growing nearby. One in particular caught his eye. It was an herb commonly known as a therolas. It grew as a single stem with leafs fanning off it. It looked a lot like wild mint, except its leaves were smoother and rounder and they did not have the jagged edges that were associated with mint.

The first time he had seen that plant was about eleven years ago when he was about six years old. Uli had taken both he and Ilia on a trips to learn about plants and their medicinal properties. He smiled slightly as he remembered his first lesson.

Uli had taken them out into the woods right after the sun had risen. They had taken a day long hike in which she explained the uses of plans and how and where to find them. It was about midday when they stopped for lunch near a stream. When they had eaten, Uli had pointed at small plant and called for their attention.

"See that plant over there?" she had asked. He and Ilia had nodded. "That herb is called therolas, it is good for relieving headaches," she explained patiently. "I use it when I cannot find feverfew or butterbur. Unlike those two herbs which you eat, therolas is for external use, meaning, you make a poultice and place it on the sore spot."

She had then shown them how to make a soothing poultice by smashing the leaves with a flat rock and then mixing it with cool stream water and a very small amount mud from the bank of the stream where there was a sizable mud puddle.

He had been watching attentively and had not realized that Ilia had been up to something until it was too late. Ilia had snuck up behind him with an enormous handful of mud with one sprig of the therolas sticking crookedly from the glob. She had then dumped the mud and single plant stem right on his head. He had cried out in surprise as the slimy mud slid slowly down his head, coving it entirely. The sprig of therolas had stuck straight up out of the top, like some ridiculous feather in a hat. He had stood there shocked for a moment with Ilia laughing hysterically behind him.

"Ilia!" Uli had cried out angrily, but despite her tone, he had noticed a slight glint of amusement in her eye. That fact had only made him fell more ridiculous. "Ilia that was not nice! Why ever would you such a rude thing!?"

"I was only doing what you showed me," Ilia had protested, "You said that that plant was for headaches and that's what Link is," she had said smiling mischievously.

"I am not!" he had protested indignantly. He had known that this was Ilia's way of getting him back for teasingly saying something similar about a day ago. Needless to say Ilia had never been the type able to take a joke in good humor.

"Of course you aren't," Uli had said trying to stifle a smile as she brushed off the ridiculous mud hat. "Ilia apologize right now for your actions and that unkind comment."

"Sorry," Ilia had said with a smug facial expression that had screamed out the fact that she was lying.

Uli had not seen this; instead she had just remembered that they were out of wild garlic.

"Can I trust you two to behave for a couple minutes while I get some garlic?"

"Yes," they had both answered sweetly though he, at that moment, had no intention of behaving.

As soon as Uli was out of sight behind a tree, he had promptly pushed Ilia straight into the mud puddle. She landed face first and was covered in mud from head to toe.

"Link you weasel," she yelled at him angrily before bursting into tears. "I'm stuck," she had wailed miserably.

The smile of satisfaction had vanished from his face. He had not intended to make her so upset or get her stuck, so he had come over to the edge of the puddle and reached out his hand to pull her out.

As soon as their hands had clasped Ilia's tears vanished instantly. She smiled maliciously as she yanked him into the puddle with her. He became submerged from his head to his torso. This, consequently, led to a full scale mud war. They each had been so busy yelling insults and trying to get revenge on the other that they did not notice Uli approaching until it was too late.

"Link, Ilia, I am so disappointed in you! Ilia that is no way for a lady to behave and Link gentlemen never, ever, ever, hit ladies no matter what they do to provoke you!"

"That's not fair!" He had protested vehemently as Ilia smiled sassily and stuck out her tongue.

"And ladies do not do anything that would make the gentleman want to hit them in the first place."

Ilia's smile vanished.

All the way back to Ordon village the two mud coated miscreants had to listen to an extremely long scolding. When they got back Uli explained to Ilia's father what had happened. As punishment, he had sent her to do all the dishes. Link couldn't help but stick out his tongue at her and smile at her sorrowful face through the window.

Uli had put an abrupt end to his vindictive happiness by saying, "And as for you young man, you are going to weed out the entire garden, understand?"

He had been picking out prickles from the spiny weeds out of his hands for an hour afterwards. The very next day though, he and Ilia were best friends again laughing about the adventures of the day before.

Link chuckled softly to himself at the memory, as he bent down and picked the therolas plant and a bunch of others like it. He smiled happily as he thought of a way to communicate, to certain extent, with Ilia. All he needed to do was find the perfect flower.

Ilia had a good heart and was often selfless. She had gone out of her way many times to help others. However, when they were younger she had the tendency to be bossy and a bit of a tattletale. She had grown out of being a tattletale but hadn't quite grown out of being bossy; and Link had a sneaking suspicion that she never would. This did nothing to alter the fact that he cared for her deeply and missed her a lot. This was yet another downside of being a traitor, he could never go to the places he liked or be with the people he loved without an extreme risk. He glanced at the greenery in his hand miserably. Would he ever actually be able to ever see her, talk to her, or just be with her again, ever?

"All of this because of Zelda", he muttered darkly to himself, spitting out her name as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

He had had just about enough of all of this hiding for his life, especially since summer would soon near its end in a month or two. He could tell that fall was coming. The smell and feel of the air was changing. After fall came winter and that was a troubling thought. What would he and the outlaws do when winter came and it would no longer be safe to hide in the woods because of exposure to the elements and lack of food? 'Build igloos, eat roots and tree bark and steel fire,' he supposed smiling at the ridiculous notion.

He added this concern to his problem list and focused back on the task at hand as he came across a clearing. It was a small meadow filled with forest flowers. He took in the glade at glance scanning it for the perfect flower.

He bent down, reaching for a purple one with silk-like petals whose beauty had caught his eye. He liked the color purple. In fact purple was one of the colors of Hyrule, it was Zelda's favorite color and she often wore it. He recoiled from the plant in disgust and straitened up, a frown crossing his features.

He changed his mind, he hated purple. The more he looked at its silky petals the more it reminded him of his enemy. His frown turned into a scowl. He kicked over the offending plant and stepped on it as he continued on his way.

His anger vanished as he stared at the smashed flower. He shook his head as he laughed wryly at himself; he had lost his temper and killed a plant. This would be yet another thing that could be added to his wanted poster. He could see it now; it would read wanted for treason, lawbreaking, and for murdering innocent flowers. The thought made his smile broaden before it faded abruptly. He had to quit letting anger rule his head; although anger could make one more powerful, it also clouded ones judgment. A cool and level head was what one needed for success. It was easy to make mistakes if one let anger take control.

He knew this lesson all too well but lately, keeping a level head had been almost impossibly hard. His emotions seemed to be in a constant state of turmoil and this made it all too easy to lose his temper. Sighing, he continued to scan the meadow. He smiled as he finally found the flower he wanted.

**~x~X~x~**

The next morning Ilia woke just as the sun was rising, which was her usual habit. She trotted down the stairs of her loft bedroom and steeped into the kitchen. She set a pot of water and dry grains over the fire to start breakfast and went outside. She headed for the stream that ran by her house to draw more water for cooking late. She usually timed this so that she and Uli would be at the stream at the same time.

Ilia had lost her mother when she was young and since then Uli had been like her aunt almost like a second mother. Ilia loved to talk with Uli in the morning. It was the perfect time to speak her mind or ask for advice while they were alone by the stream. Uli was late this morning so Ilia decided that she might take the extra time, while she was waiting, to gather flowers. Flowers brought so much color and beauty to the house. As she bent down to pick some she heard Uli's voice.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Uli smiled as she walked up towards the stream.

"Why not?" Ilia asked, halting before she picked the flower.

"Look," Uli pointed towards her porch and Ilia saw that they was a bouquet near her door that she had missed seeing when she left the house. She smiled at Uli as she headed for her door assuming that Uli had picked the flowers for her.

As she reached the house she found that it was most outlandish bouquet she had ever seen. It was all greenery except for a single flower. It was a ridiculously small flower and it looked absolutely absurd amidst all the greenery, sticking out in a cockeyed manner. She burst into laughter as she recognized the greenery as the headache curing plant or therolas. She knew instantly who had sent it- defiantly not Uli.

She smiled broadly, happy that she knew for sure that Link was alright. "Link you ridiculous rouge," she muttered to herself as she went inside and placed the bouquet in a vase on the table. Link was such a tease sometimes. She knew that he knew perfectly well how to make a semi decent looking bouquet, but instead he had given her a deranged looking one, probably for the sole purpose of making her laugh or smile.

She missed him, she realized with a pang. She was livid with him for getting himself stuck in the way he had. There was not a day that went by when she wasn't worried for him. How could he have been so stupid? If he survived this she was going to kill him, and the princess too. They were both acting like a pair morons. She would kill the princess for turning a blind eye to what her actions were causing and for nearly killing Link, and she would kill Link for nearly dying on her and for behaving like a common law breaker. She wondered why they just couldn't talk it over and clear it up, and then things could go back to normal. The princess could stop being a paranoid control freak and Link could stop behaving like a traitorous criminal.

With those thoughts in mind she turned to furiously stir the porridge so it wouldn't stick and would be ready by the time her father sat down for breakfast. Noting that it was finished, she put it into two wooden bowls and set them down on the table just as she heard her father's footsteps.

"Ilia," he said as he entered the room, ready for breakfast, "that is the most absurdly silly bouquet I have ever seen. Usually you pick beautiful ones, what is up with this one?"

Ilia burst into laughter.

"What did I say that was so funny?" her father asked confused.

"A sort of private joke," Ilia said between giggles, "a funny memory."

"Well," her father said slightly put out that he had not been included in the joke, "I had something that I wanted to tell you. Because of the lack of workers I am worried that we will not be able to grow enough food for the coming winter. Because I am mayor and it is my duty to see to the welfare of our people, I have taken it upon myself to try to barter for supplies at the Castle Town market. I will need some help, would you like to come with me?" he asked, already knowing her answer.

* * *

**Thank you so much for reading and sticking with this story! :) as usual feedback is greatly appreciated! **

**Note- although all the herbs that I have previously mentioned in this book are real and their medicinal uses accurate, I am sad to say that therolas was conjured up in my own imagination . So if you just so happen to be into herbal medicines and you have a headache go for feverfew and butterbur because you will never find therolas. XD**

**QUESTION:**

**Do you guys believe that every Link has exactly the same personality? Or do you think that although they are reincarnated forms of the same person/spirit they still are individuals? What about Zelda or Ganondorf?**


	18. The Plight

**A/N: **Hi everyone :) I am back from my action break! This chapter is a bit long so if that's not to your tastes I apologize in advance. This was one of my favorites to write so I really hope you all enjoy it. As you can probably tell by the title 'the plight,' this chapter basically delves into where everyone stands before I rush forward towards the end. So this chapter switches PoV three times and is told through the eyes of Link, Zelda, and the Empress. So if any of you have been curious as to the Empress's origins, there will be a bit of a background for my villainess in this chapter along with Zelda playing at being a spy, and Link waylaying some soldiers.

Whoa I got a lot of epic responses to last week chapter question! All of you bring up excellent points. I personally believe that although the Links and Zeldas share some similar aspects and the same underlying spirit they all have different characters. Ganon is just well, Ganon. :P *dorky grin*

**AnimeMaster24-** No worries I highly doubt I am going to go LinkxIlia. I mean I did say friend not girlfriend or lover and I did not really make him pining after her. I mean it's obvious they care about each other so of course they are going to miss each other. I don't doubt that they love each other, but I am not sure that that love is particularly a romantic sort of love. I mean maybe they held a slight attraction for each other in the beginning of the game, but they were honestly like the only girl and guy the same age in that entire village, and that was before they realized how much bigger their world actually was. (Excuse my rambling) As for your answer it was very in depth and well thought out, it was awesome. Thank you!

**MiniJen-** Link and Ilia will be seeing each other face to face soon, just probably not in the way you might expect *cough, cough, spoiler cough* Ilia is a pretty central character I couldn't just leave her out. XD

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony**- Oh gosh, that is so nice of you to say.:D Gotta love those rainbows :) I personally hate books with flat characters so I tried my best to add some interest into the ones in mine. I think we should band together and rebel against all homework XD.

**89niners-best-team-ever-** Thanks for the review. Windwaker Link does have a lot of expressions on the cute giant head of his XD. I personally liked the game.

**ArianandXaia-** Thank you :) As for the question, I'm not sure about fluff per say; I was not actually intending it to be that way exactly, but throughout the game it was obvious that those two cared about each other so it would be rather silly for me to make them ignore each other. But they never really confessed their love for each other or kissed. I honestly think TP Link is a bit dense when it comes to the ladies, OoT Link too, and practically every girl had a crush on the poor dude. XD I shall explain more about the nature of Link and Ilia's relationship in the chapter after this one.

**Hylian Knight-** haha no kidding, poor SS Link. Thanks for the review and compliment, and good luck to you also! :)

**Generala-** I definitely approve of the idea of wearing boots under ones dress. XD. Yeah, that would just be awful if the Empress did something like that.O_o. I agree with your answer. Thanks for the review. :)

Also, huge thank you-s to **Keiron**, **xXx skytale xXx**, **Epic Snow,** and **Gojira Geek**!

* * *

** The Plight**

Zelda tossed and turned in her sleep, a cold sweat beading her brow. Her breath came in short ragged gasps and then she shot up in her bed, trembling from the haunting images of her nightmare. She tried to forget the carnage, destruction and fire that had plagued her dreaming mind, but could not stop the few tears that fell from her tired eyes.

Silently she reached under her pillow and brought out the green sturdy fabric of Link's hat. She gazed at it a long time, using the small memento to conjure up a memory of him in her mind. Holding the green cloth tightly thus, seemed to calm her mind slightly. She murmured a silent wish that this had not happened before getting up to stare out her window.

Everything was a mess. Her kingdom had been practically split in two and the pent up tension was almost tangible. This was spurred onwards by the harsh edicts and laws she was forced to make. She was losing the confidence of her subjects and her friends, some of her best friends at that.

She would love to escape and join up with Link. He was fighting for all the things that she herself believed in, but even if this impossible wish were probable, would he even want her as a friend anymore? Probably not, she realized sadly. How could he possibly ever trust her again? How could anyone? How could she trust herself? She was supposed to be the leader of her people and she had failed for a second time. She was once again trapped helplessly in her own castle while others had tried to dethrone her and threaten her people. Long ago, she had dreamed that she would be destined for greatness; she had wanted to be a ruler as strong and wise as her father before her. But now it seemed that she was destined for nothing but shame and failure. She was going to lose everything she had and believed in and everyone she loved before this was over.

What would her parents say if they could see her now? She had been forced to exchange everything for her peoples safety and she did not even know how long that would last. She had been buying time since her capture and things were moving to a head. She knew that she would soon need to make a move against her enemy only, she was afraid to do it. Her fingers clenched around Link's hat. What would he tell her if he were here.

As if called up by her question, a memory burst into her consciousness. It was of a time not too many months ago when a light-hearted Link had been telling her about part of his quest.

_"That was extremely rash and dangerous," she protested "You easily could have died."_

_"But I didn't," he said, flashing her a grin, "as you can plainly see."_

_"That's beside the point, why such reckless actions to get past a dungeon boss?"_

_"I needed the mirror piece; Hyrule would have been lost without it."_

_"But...," she stammered, highly disturbed and upset that he had been forced to go to such dramatic actions for her and the kingdom's sake even though she knew it had been obligatory. She herself had been forced into such predicaments and had had to take chances. "But, The risk…" she finished lamely not knowing what else to say, they both knew it had been necessary and what was done was done._

_His face lost its joking smile and became serious. "It was war, risks have to be taken in war time or you could lose everything you hold dear. The trick is," he said his face once again lighting up with a rather cocky smile, "knowing exactly which risks to take."_

_"How do you know which is the right one to take?" she asked, genuinely curious. She was impressed by his confidence and wondered how he had learned the skill to be able to be so sure of every major decision like that._

_"If you are successful and are still alive after you take the risk, then it was the right one to take," he replied with a teasing laugh._

_She glared at him, "That was very anticlimactic Link," she said darkly. _

_His smile faded slightly as he realized she was not appreciating his humor and had wanted a serious answer. He was silent for a moment, as if the teasing response he had given had been the only one he had ever actually thought of._

_"I suppose… you can never know whether it was right or not in terms of successfulness unless you try it, but, if there was even the slightest chance that that your actions would protect the ones you love or swore to protect, then, I believe it is worth taking the risk, even if the consequences could be dangerously high if you fail." _

A faint smile played across her lips at the memory as his words echoed through her head. She knew it was time to take a risk. Although risk taking did not exactly fall under the label of wisdom, if she was successful, then it could bring about a result that constituted as a wise choice.

"If you fail you're a fool, but if you win you're a hero," she murmured to herself. A perfect example of one of the many cruel ironies that ruled the world they lived in, she thought bitterly.

Something suddenly struck her as odd. There was something missing from her room. She looked around before realizing that it was a sound -the sound of the sentries at her door, shuffling as their feet got tired, and the sound of their breathing, which she always heard in the deep hours of the night when things were quiet.

She padded softly to her door. She cautiously turned the knob and peered outside. The Empress had taken over the entire top half of the castle and had left everything else untouched so as to play her games. All the soldiers on the top floors were the Empress's in disguise.

Zelda poked her head out of her bedroom door. Her auditory analysis had been correct. There were no fake soldiers in the hallway. She quietly paced down the halls for a couple yards and was rewarded again with nothing.

Quickly, she dashed back into her room. Where were all the guards? Surly they did not leave? Had they merely become overconfident and left, assuming that she would sleep soundly until dawn? Did they want to catch her trying to escape just to punish her for trying?

She ran all possible scenarios and reasons that she could think of through her mind before she became confident that she had the right answer. The most logical and probable reason for the guards' absence was that they had been called to a strategic meeting. The Empress had been a bit edgy lately and Zelda knew that that meant she was planning something. She could see no other reason to explain their strange disappearance in the middle of the night. If the Empress had felt secure that she would sleep soundly all night as was her usual habit she would have felt safe recalling her soldiers for the short time it would take to brief them.

She hurried to her dresser and went to work. This was proving to be the perfect opportunity. If the Empress and her minions were having some sort of war conference, listening in could give her the upper hand she had been waiting so long for. If she knew of her enemy's plan, she could be in a good position to counter attack and possibly end this pointless war game. After all, knowledge was power, and intel on ones enemy -if used correctly- was practically victory.

At the bottom of her drawer lay her mother's old Shiekah outfit, neatly folded. While her father had been teaching her swordsmanship and archery, her mother had been drilling her in a few old Shiekah fighting techniques that she had learned from the castle's shiekah guardian Impa. Impa had disappeared when her mother had been a teenager and no one had seen her since. Her mother had always gained a sad look in her eyes when she spoke of her missing guardian. Although Impa had disappeared, her legend and skills had lived on. Zelda had been told by the Empress that if she was ever found to have escaped, she would kill five of her subjects every hour until she returned or was recaptured, so a disguise was imperative. That way, if she were seen by anyone, her subjects could not be punished for her actions. She used a quick spell to change the color of her hair to a light blond, before putting it in a quick braid.

She drifted through the castle like a wraith. She knew it back to front and so could navigate skillfully without the light of day to illuminate her path. Based on what she inferred from her enemy, the most logical and unobtrusive place in the castle to have a secret war council would be in the dungeons, cistern room, or catacombs.

Taking a deep breath to still the frantic beating of her heart, she began to descend the stairs that led to the lower reaches of the castle. She went slowly so as not to blunder into any guards who may be on duty.

By the faint flicker of torch light from the cistern room, she could see the shadowy figure of a soldier standing watch by the stairs. Although she was by no means a master in the hand to hand combat that the Shiekah were so skilled in, she knew enough to knock out the guard without him ever becoming aware of her presence. She did not give so much as a backward glance at the crumpled guard as she continued onward. The soft hum of voices drifted towards her as they echoed through the catacombs. Zelda's heart pounded, it seemed to her, nearly deafeningly loud. She could feel every pulse of her blood as terror brought on a surge of adrenaline.

The cruel intent voice of the Empress projected louder than the others and Zelda inched across the moldering floors of the cistern until she could hear properly. Her assumptions had been correct.

The Empress and her followers were congregated near the steps that led up from the catacomb tunnels to the gatehouse. Zelda stopped just inside the arched entrance to the catacombs and secured herself in the shadows.

"The kingdom has been sufficiently weakened, the people are on edge and mistrustful of their neighbors. This has worked out even better than I had planned. That being said, it is time for us to move things to a head. In ten days, I will force the princess to lead an army to the forest for the sole purpose of eradicating the outlaws. If everything goes according to plan, it will bring about the civil war we have planed. Then we will initiate phase two."

The Empress cleared her through as if she were about to outline the specific details of her plan before she stopped abruptly and singled out two guards.

"You two," she said to them, "I need you to get back to your post at the princess's chamber before she become wise to the fact that you are absent. I have a sense that she is no longer asleep."

Zelda felt her breath catch for a moment then slowly eased herself out of the shadowy passage and back into the cistern room. One she reached the stairs, she broke into a run, as she heard the footfalls of the two guards.

She prayed that the sentry she had knocked out would be considered to have fallen asleep on watch, which would probably be what would happen, considering that he had not actually seen her.

It did not matter that she was not savvy to all the specific details, she had heard enough. She knew the when and the what. The board of the endgame had been set and the first move had been made. Zelda knew her time of stalling and procrastinating was finally up. She would have to make a counter move or everything would be lost.

**~x~X~x~**

The Empress was immensely pleased with herself. Her war conference had been most uplifting. All she needed now was to actually make the two groups clash in battle and start a war. Unfortunately that infuriating Link had no interest in that sort of senseless violence and bloodshed. That was just a minor setback; all she had to do was force Zelda to make the first move.

The best part of all would be when Link killed Zelda or the other way around depending on how things went. She relished her power to cause wars and conquer kingdoms. Soon her dreams for a new empire would be realized. All she needed was for Link to try to take revenge, or for "Zelda" to lead campaign to end his evil lawless ways. Either way she would make it so that one of them would die. Their fame would make whichever one a martyr and fuel the cause from a battle to an outright war. Her empire was growing, her power was growing, and soon she would have it all.

With a chuckle of ecstasy, she placed her war gear and armor on the bed of her stolen room, and sat down on the chair that stood before the armoire. She tossed her silvery hair out of her eyes and smiled at her reflection in the standing mirror. The face that stared back was regal and queenly, confident and self-assured. She stared at the reflected dark black eyes. They were proud and cold, defiant and overbearing. Her smile widened before it slowly faded. She had caught a fleeting look in those cool black eyes that she thought she had buried forever; Averan.

Averan–- It was a name she thought she had forgotten. It was the name given to her by her mother, who also shared that name. It had been passed down her family to the first born daughter for centuries, along with the legend that the original name barer would be reborn into it one day. In old Hylain the name literally translated to, of Veran or daughter of Veran. Now as she looked back, she realized that it might have been that simple fact of family lineage that had saved her and given her the tool to transform herself into something better.

Averan- No, she was not that person any more. That girl had died on the day that she lost everything, and yet it became the day she gained everything. It was the way the world worked, death heralded new life, better life.

Averan was a girl born with nothing. A poor orphaned girl trapped in a land of male chauvinists who considered her to be less than the dirt on ground. Not anymore, never again; she was the Empress who had proved all of them wrong. Averan was the girl who cowered before her master. It was she; the Empress who forced the masters to their knees. They all trembled before her feet before the end. Averan was the girl whose deepest person was not even her own, she belonged to others, she did not even have the slightest remnant of dignity and pride. Averan had been broken and waiting for death, waiting for her master to finish her off. The Empress was the one who acted, not the one who was acted upon.

Averan had watched her Master's blade fall that day and in that moment she had woken. Something clicked and she was reborn. She had found her true power. Magic coursed through her veins. Her _master_, the fool, had been the one to die weeping and begging for mercy before the sword, not she.

Averan was gone, the Empress was born. Averan was nothing but the Empress was strong. She clawed, connived, lied, fought, and betrayed her way into power. Why shouldn't she have? The ones who placed themselves in power over her did the same themselves to get there, only she was better at it.

So she was born with nothing, what did that matter when everything was ripe for the taking, especially to those who had been gifted with the strength, mind, and will to dominate. She had always had those, but it was only when she became the Empress that she added power to the mix. The petty fools who had once dared to rule over her were now little more than her slaves, that is, the ones who still lived. She had taken dominion over her kingdom and had then set her sights to other lands. Why should she not rule them all? She was not a fool blinded by her own arrogance like the warlord Ganon had been. She saw things for what they were and conquered them. She was clever enough to do it in such a way as to trick the people into practically begging her to rule them when the time was right.

She would do absolutely anything to come out on top, and she usually found extreme pleasure in doing so. Revenge was sweet if not fulfilling and she loved it just as much as subjugating people and bending them to her will. Instead of tuning her back on the world that abandoned her, she had turned towards it, sword drawn, to make it her own. Once she had a taste for power she swore to never let it go. She would never be brought down again, to bend a knee before another. She had vowed she would never be anything less than the master. Although that had nearly happened when an uprising kicked her out of her empire, but that would soon change. She had learned from the mistakes of the past. When she fully conquered Hyrule she would use it as a hub to regain what she had lost and more.

She stared at her face again, any trace of weakness was gone; this was who she was. She was a self made monarch right down to the title she had chosen for herself. Not a princess or a queen- those were far too low. She was an empress, a supreme ruler of all that she conquered.

Thinking of all she had done so far lit her face with a gleeful smile of triumph.

She would succeed where the mighty Ganon had failed. She had taken Hyrule castle without a battle. She had subjugated the princess and turned her into a slave. Throughout the annals of history Zelda would be remembered as a tyrant, her honor forever lost. The Empress had fooled the people and the soldiers, crushed the Resistance and brought down the Hero of Twilight. She had left him broken and bleeding, hardly able to lift his own sword. She had laughed as the adulation of his name was turned into scorn. She enjoyed playing with people's hearts and minds. The greater the opponent, the greater her triumph, and there was no denying that Link had been hard to get.

When he first stepped foot into her trap she had been intrigued by him. Although he had no magic wielding capabilities in him, the only magic he had was from the Triforce, she could tell that he nearly had the ability to sense, almost like an animal. She had to use all of her magic abilities to blunt his senses long enough to get him, and from there, his turmoil-filled emotions had finished the job for her. In such a state of mind, even animal-like senses could be held at bay, of this she was confident.

Her wave of pleasure faded again and an involuntary shiver ran down her spine at the memory of the way he had looked at her, that day she had him dragged out of the throne room. The Treacherous Sea that embodied her cold unfathomable mind was suddenly stilled in its wrath to become calmed, dark, and pensive. There had been so much emotion and quiet blazing feral anger in those eyes, somehow his silence was more terrifying than if he had been raging and swearing revenge- those eyes of his, they were just…she could see them burning clearly in her mind as if it had just been yesterday…

She shook her head. She was not going to let herself be perturbed because of a boy. All the same, she was almost glad he would be after the princess and not her.

While she was on the subject of the princess she decided she needed to watch her more closely. She was no less formidable than her hero in her own way. That face was always so poised and seemingly calm, yet her teal eyes were always scheming, always hating when they looked at her.

She would have to be careful with the princess and the hero. She knew from experience that even broken pieces could still fight back. She had to make sure that they would never be given the opportunity. 

**~x~X~x~**

Link took a deep breath, lightly clutching at the tree he was hiding behind, waiting for the rumble of wagon wheels to draw nearer to his position. Nearly a score of outlaws stood hiding in various places along the roadside waiting for his signal.

Troops had come to Ordon and they had confiscated nearly a fourth of the village's stored up supplies for the excuse of a tax. Apparently, the soldiers needed supplies in exchange for their protection.

Link knew that there was no food shortage in Hyrule; the soldiers needed no extra supplies. He guessed that the real reason was solely for the soldier's enjoyment of bulling. Arscair had led the raid so it was probably for two reasons, for the sake of bulling and revenge. Arscair had no hope of defeating him in combat or even finding him for that matter. It was because of this that Arscair had decided to pick on his village, so as to hurt the people that he cared most about.

The people of Ordon needed that food and Link had was determined that Arscair was not going to get away with this act of cruelty. Zelda had allowed her soldiers and knights to become little better than freeloaders and thugs. This did not surprise him though; she was behaving just as corrupt as they were. She probably enjoyed sending out her out her soldiers to prey on the week, the unsuspecting, and the trusting, but not this time. Tyranny did not set well with him. He clenched his fist tighter around the hilt of his sword, reading himself as the cart of soldiers and their purloined supplies came into range.

He was quite honestly ashamed of himself, a hero sworn to a code of honor stooping down to the level of a common highwayman. 'Oh how the mighty had fallen,' he thought to himself wryly. He was majorly breaking the law this time. To make matters even worse he was about to behave in the manner of a thug himself, but he told himself that he did not care. He was an outlaw and outlaws had freedom and their own code of honor and justice he was not bound by the law technically speaking. It was a cruel irony that the lawless were the ones left to protect the week.

He leaped out from behind the cover of the tree straight into the middle of the path barring the soldier's way. The long hood of his cloak shadowed his face. His mottled brown cloak had become as sort of emblem for his band of followers and many of them had adopted its style. At the signal of his charge the seemingly deserted path came alive with camouflaged outlaws, faces hidden by the shadow of their cowls, bows in firing position.

The procession of soldiers halted their steeds and their wagon, faces going white with terror. Only Arscair kept his composure, although his face seemed to deepen into a red shade of fury, furious that he once again found himself in the position of groveling looser.

Normally Link would have remained silent and let his sword speak for him but he was angry and lately he had found it hard to keep his words in check when he was angry. Also he had his image as the rebellion's leader to uphold and had to speak for all of them. He bowed mockingly to Arscair in the flourishing manner of a high class courtier.

"Greetings sir knight," he mocked, straightening up. "It is indeed a strange thing to meet you on such a path." He said, solemnly fingering his razor sharp sword blade.

"What do you want churl?" Arscair demanded in a quavering voice, nearly growling with anger.

"Well you see, my lord," Link said smiling, his voice still courteous, "there is the matter of a tax. My men and I work very hard to keep these roads safe and such protection comes at a cost."

The sound of the outlaw's laughter rang though the forest. They found the plight of the solders, caught in their own game of cruelty, to be absolutely hilarious.

"I am fully aware that you are not caring much money with you," Link continued, "but I see you have a full cart of supplies and I suppose that this could be considered a fair exchange."

Arscair's teeth ground audibly. Half of the outlaws lowered their bows and applied themselves to the task of unloading the wagon. The other half kept their bows trained on the soldiers.

When their work was finished and all the supplies were reclaimed Ashei sided up to Link.

"Well, what now? What are we going to do with the soldiers? Finish them off," she asked with an impish smile. The soldier's faces paled still further.

"Certainly not," Link smiled back, a smile that he knew probably looked more like a leer, "that would be disrespectful, they are knights and soldiers. They deserve the highest courtesy."

The troop of ten soldiers sped off to Hyrule tied up in an undignified manner inside their own cart. All the horses except for the two pulling the wagon were set loose. The cart rolled away towards Faron field the rumble of its wheels nearly drowned out by Arscair's furious curses and oaths of vengeance against all outlaws- especially against Link.

Link gave a sidelong smile at Ashei, "Perhaps I should have gagged him."

"Yeah," she said with a snigger, "perhaps you should have."

Link's joy at putting the soldiers back into their place faded abruptly. This was not what he wanted. He did not want to be a lawless outcast, he wanted his honor back, he wanted his life back to the way it was. Wishing for what could never be was stupid, he knew he should start accepting things as they were. He might as well get used to being lawless because there was nothing left for him. He knew he should just embrace it and move on but part of him didn't want to do it. 'As long as he was running from something, the thing he was running from had the control over his life.' He knew this but he also knew that he didn't want to stop and actually see where his running steps were taking him.

Sighing, he helped the others with the supplies focusing his thoughts on the task of figuring out a plan to sneak the supplies back to the people of Ordon.

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**Thanks for reading! Best wishes for an awesome week to you all! So slight spoiler for next week (because I can't help myself): I am planning for Link to do something really embarrassing *expectant evil chortle* **

**QUESTION:**

**Is there any LoZ character that started out amazing in your opinion but ended up really disappointing you? (due to a degrading character or anticlimactic development) **

**I.E. Zant he was awesome in the beginning, in my opinion, totally creepy and cool, then he turned into an rather insane idiot with hardly any combat skills, who throws temper tantrums like a two year old. XD It made me sad ;_;**


	19. To be a Lady

**A/N:** Hi guys! Just to let you know there will be about five or maybe six more chapters till the end. Wow, I never thought I would reach 200 reviews! Thank you all so much! It means a lot to an insecure armature writer like myself. You guys are so encouraging and helpful. I think I'm going to run out of my metaphorical gratitude crystals. I did try to respond to everyone this time :) Another note, I have re-edited the chapters 1-4 and they should be up today too, so if you want to (and/or have nothing better to do with your time) feel free to check it out . I apologize for my clumsy grammatical and spelling errors. So this chapter is going to have a bit of a lighthearted tone to it before things get darker. I was slightly inspired by Nancy Springer's _Enola Holmes_ series, I love them so much, but then again I love a lot of books so….. oh well. XP (if any of you are Sherlock Holmes fans and love strong female protagonists you should check them out :) I had quite a large amount of dorky fun writing this and I hope you all like this chapter.

**MiniJen-** Oh, thanks *blushes* :) yeah it was one of my favorites too. I believe that without a back-story a bad-guy is just flat, predictable, and disinteresting. I don't think that any one is born a megalomaniac exactly, and everyone has to have motives XD. Yeah I saw that in Hyrule Historia and leaned that they had done a design for her when I played Smash Brawl. I wish they had included it too. :( I love Tetra also! Nothing wrong with a long review :D

**Gojira Geek**- Yeah, that was a bit of a letdown XD

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony-** certainly not me :) Thank you so much for the compliment! Yeah, poor Link, the dude is definitely not having the best of times ;_;

**Rawr I'm A Toaster**- Yeah the insanity does kinda fit his character, but it always makes me sad when the bad-guy completely goes nuts and looses it; and it seems to happen a lot in some of my favorite books and shows, The Redwall series, Eragon, Avatar the Last Airbender, Sea of Trolls, Shakespeare, Lord of the Rings, ect. I guess I don't like the idea of permanently degrading characters so much; it is super disappointing to me. (but hey that's just me! :)

**ArianandXaia-** Nooooooo I don't wanna be karate chopped *waaaahha*, I'm just an innocent bystander in this whole thing believe me O.O (jk) XD Thanks for the compliment! :) Yup now you know why. I agree with you about dark Link it was rather saddening.

**Generala-** Zelda is rather stuck but, rest assured, she will be thinking of a plan. :D

**Hylain Knight-** *fan girl squeal* yes Link is. XP At least he is doing the right thing even if it doesn't seem like it. I defiantlkagree with you about Ghirahim and I like Malon too. Thanks, I shall ride my "noble steed" (pencil or keyboard) onwards through my remaining pages, never fear! XD May good fortune follow you also sir knight :D.

**AnimeMaster24-** Thank you! Yeah, I guess my chapters are sort of short compared to some but if it is longer than ten pages on a word document then it seems long to me XD Epic characters and plot lines are two of the main reasons I love the Zelda games so much. :)

**Epic Snow-** Thanks and your welcome!

**Guest-** Daa'w that is so nice of you to say :) Thank you so much! Ilia is going to be a major player in this chapter and the next and I can't wait to write the climactic meeting between Link and Zelda and its coming soon, probably in about three or four chapters! ( It won't be long now. *evil expectant smile* ) Wow your review was super poetic and well written you must be a master of prose :D Thank you for your inspirational and uplifting review!

**anonymous1133-** yeah they would make an awesome duo! We shall see. :)

**xXx skytale xXx-** yeah poor Link TP Zelda always seemed a bit serious to me :) don't feel too bad for the Empress XD. NEXT CHAPTER IS HERE! Thanks for the review!

**Kind Moon Princess Serenity-** Thank you, and I can't tell you the answer to your question exactly but it may or may not be within the next few chapters :)

**Makoto A Yakushi-** Thanks so much for all the lovely compliments! :) I did try hard to be original. I have been trying to fix my typos so thanks for pointing it out :D No problem, and that sounds cool I would love to read it when you write it!

**ShadowFalcon5-** Than you, that is what I was going for character wise XD. Link is always epic.

**Scarlet Curls-** I have gotten rainbows! Thank you for all the reviews and chapter question answers I enjoyed them a lot! I like it when characters have them limits tested too, it makes for an interesting tale. Yeah pushing people off cliffs is definitely romantic XD (but in all seriousness SS link and Zelda were romantic) I started to read your fanfic and I think it's awesome so far! I agree with a lot of your answers XD Awesome that your getting Hyrule History, I'm sure you will love it, it's pretty cool. Nothing wrong with having a bit of a forceful personality :) I'm not evil *evil laugh* XP. That would be an epic ending to this story. As for your question I don't know, maybe a chain whip imbued with electricity (Link has used whips before) Or maybe a manriki chain since it is a ninja weapon and it is similar to a ball and chain. And although these have not been used in the actual games, paired sai daggers and throwing needles and stars are epic ninja weapons, (the last two sheik uses in smash brawl I know it's not Zelda exactly but it's close :) hope that helps :D

**AssassinKitsune-** Yeah, that was pretty messed up XD. Thank you!

* * *

**To be a Lady **

It was a bright clear day; the noontime sunlight was filtering delicately through the trees near the outlaws' forest hideout. As he stared into the leafy canopy above him, with his hands pillowed behind his head, Link realized that it had been nearly a week since he had done anything adventurous or fun. Simply putting it, he was bored and needed something worthwhile to do. Too much empty time gives you way too much time to think he decided miserably, and with his thoughts often wandered to when he was idle was something he didn't care to dwell upon. Thoughts like disgraced honor, betrayed trust, and broken hearts, 'No,' he said to himself, 'this simply would not do.' He did not want things like this to ruin his attitude. He would not allow himself to become a moping self absorbed person. He needed something to do. He could not suppress a tired sigh.

"You know you'd be a lot less bored if you would help out with the foraging like you're supposed to be doing." Ashei scolded mildly, from where she crouched a few feet away, near a berry bush.

"Can't," he replied with a smirk, "berry picking and the like is woman's work- right Shad?"

Shad had his nose in a book and was absent mindedly picking berries with his free hand.

"Hmm? What's that Link? Oh right, yes, absolutely," he replied distractedly.

Link sniggered, and Ashei looked as if she were about to explode.

"Wait…" Shad said, his mind finally snapping back into reality, "Hey!" he protested indignantly, dropping the fruit he was holding when he realized he had just called himself a girl.

"Woman's work, yeah?" Ashei challenged darkly, "I'll show you some woman's work; on your face." She growled, raising a fist.

"I think I just might be with you on that one," Shad replied forebodingly.

"Come come you two, how would that even be considered ladylike behavior?"

"Lady like this, hero boy!" Ashei said dashing towards him in a tackle dive followed closely by Shad.

Link let out a very un-heroic shriek as his two friends playfully fell on him.

He twisted neatly underneath them and emerged triumphantly behind their writhing attack. It took a few moments before Shad and Ashei realized that they were attacking air.

"When you're finished kissing the dirt, will you two lovely ladies grace me with the honor of accompanying me back to camp?" Link teased.

"This lady would rather accompany you somewhere else," Ashei said with an evil smile. "Besides, we weren't supposed to go back until we found enough food or have you forgotten? And thanks to you, 'Mr. Laze Around,' we don't have enough."

"Yes we do," Link replied with a grin pointing to a bundle of supplies that had been behind where he had been laying.

"Link," Ashei rolled her eyes, "You might have mentioned that a bit sooner."

"Well that would have been absolutely no fun at all," Link started but then amended his statement when he saw Ashei's glare. "Actually I assumed you already knew I had finished early."

"So, Link," Ashei said changing the subject, as they began the walk back to camp.

Link could tell that she was about to get revenge for his teasing by the sly look on her face.

"Who is the lucky lady?" she asked with a grin

"What?" he asked, looking thoroughly confused. Of all the taunts she could have come up with, this was the one he had least expected.

"I saw you in the woods with a bouquet last week," she said, nudging him in the shoulder, "and then you were gone half the night," she hinted.

Ashei saw the look of realization turn to one of embarrassed horror. His face turned the deepest shade of red she had ever seen.

"Th…those were for Ilia," he managed to stammer as if that explained everything.

"Oh so her name is Ilia," Ashei drawled, "and you love her, yeah?" her revengeful jibe was working even better then she had planned and, needless to say, she was taking great pleasure in his discomfort.

"Of course I love her," he said, his face still red, "she is one of my best friends. We grew up together, but I didn't give her the flowers for the reason that you're thinking; she's like my sister."

"Does no one hold your heart then, Link?" Ashei asked with a teasing smile, but she was actually curious to know his answer.

A myriad of emotions flickered across his face and he clenched his teeth, giving his answer as soft, "No." His face set in a frown and he doubled his pace.

Her playful look turned into one of concern when she realized she had inadvertently jabbed a nerve. She had not expected that sort of reaction.

"Link, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" she trailed off but was relieved when she saw him turn around and grin at her. Perhaps she had misinterpreted his expression. Maybe he just had no one in his sights or wasn't interested in that sort of thing in this stage of his life. She could understand that, after all not everyone in the world was solely after romantic love. There were other types that were just as fulfilling in a way. Ashei was a law unto herself. She relished in her freedom. She loved being her own person more than anything. Although, there was a tiniest part of her that was almost relived here that he had no one. She nearly hit herself in the head when she thought that, and forced her mind to other topics, Shad, for instance.

"What about you Shad?" she asked, siding up to her momentarily silent companion.

Shad met her gaze and blushed. He turned his head slightly and said nothing.

"Oohh, that means yes," Ashei sniggered.

Once they reached camp and set down the supplies where the resistance gathered, Link couldn't seem to shake the feeling of inactivity and incommodious thoughts. Having made up his mind, he told everyone simply that he was going for a walk. He smiled as they all gave him the yeah-sure-we-know-that-you-are-really-up-to-someth ing look.

"My reputation precedes me, I suppose," he teased.

"Yes it does," Ashei said with mock solemnity, "I would offer my services as company on this 'simple walk,' except that I already promised to help Telma today."

Link grinned, "Perhaps next time, then?"

"You've got it," Ashei smiled, "at least leave some enemies for me, yeah?"

He decided to venture into the fields, a dangerous idea, because the plains had very little cover. He skirted the edge of the forest for a while, to make sure the coast was clear, before he stepped out into the open. He was about to head west when he heard screaming from the north. He turned just in time to see a band of mounted bulblins attacking a wagon.

The people who occupied it were crying out in terror and anger as the monsters began to catch up with them. The people had the look of nomads and, he thought, glaring angrily at the bulblins, that wagon probably held all of their possessions. The owners of the wagon were no match against the bulblins' frenzied attack and they soon overtook the wagon leaping aboard for the purpose of thievery and murder. One of the nomads fell off the fast moving cart, wounded, and the rest leaped off after the wounded one. The horse had spooked and it raced off with the clan of bulblins clinging to it and the wagon. Link raced forward making a B-line to intercept the bulblins.

He timed it so that he would meet with the cart right as it passed him. He leaped aboard the wagon, right near the driver's seat, clinging on to a piece of the frame for a short time before he managed to pull himself up to the driver's seat. By this time the bulblins had seen him and they charged before he even had time to draw his weapon. Three bulblins charged him and they grappled, dangerously close to the edge of the fast moving wagon. The rumble of the wheels as it bounced over the uneven path nearly crowed out all sounds of the battle. The bulblins managed to swarm him knocking him to his back. The three got on top of him getting ready to claw or strangle their foe one of them raising a sword, but their barely audible cry of triumph was brought to an abrupt end as Link easily kicked all three off of him and over the edge. He quickly used his arms to propel him upwards to land gracefully on his feet.

The lead bulblin made a slash at Link with his wicked curve sword that would have decapitated him had he not ducked. As he dodged another swipe from the enemy he drew his sword and struck in one rapid motion, using the technique he had learned from the Shade during his travels. His aim was true and his sword made contact with the monster. The bulblin tumbled over the side, never to rise. The remaining few, seeing their leader who was so easily defeated, leaped of the wagon in terror.

Link reached for the reins of the bolting horse and tried to calm it. It took quite a while, but as soon as the horse had quieted he turned it around and drove it back the way he had come. It was easy enough to find the wanderers that the cart belonged to, they were standing in a miserable huddle near the path. Their saddened faces grew joyous when they caught sight of him bringing their horse and wagon back.

"I think this is yours," he called.

They called out their thanks in return.

"You're welcome," he said as he leapt down from the driver's seat. He headed over to the wounded one, a man in his late thirties, and asked if he could be of any assistance.

An older lady was looking after him and she nodded at him saying in her wanderer's accent, "You seem to be having the look of a woodsman. Do you by any chance have some golden seal root with you? I'm completely out."

He nodded at her reaching into his side pouch where he kept various useful supplies. The injury was a minor flesh wound on the man's arm and was not too serious. It was nearly a three inch long gash but was not deep. The elderly lady seemed to know what she was doing, so Link took a pace back.

"Make sure you clean it well because bulblin blades are never clean," he warned her quietly.

He turned to leave but the elderly woman, who seemed to be the leader, called for him to wait. She told two young boys to bring something, and when they returned he saw it was a chest.

"Please," she said as she finished binding the wounded mans arm, "would you like to be taking something so that we can express our gratitude? We are tailors, and we travel town to town selling wares... or at least we used to. We were turned right out of castle town because of some new fangled law," she said irritably. "And all the guards whispering among themselves about some upcoming battle, sure I can't even begin to discuss the bad manners."

His whole attention had been grabbed when she mentioned battles. He defiantly needed to find out more about this. If he and the outlaws were in danger of being attacked it would be imperative that they protect themselves. He had a sudden desire to head to Castle Town and find out what was going on for himself, but he was sure that security had been heightened since his last infiltration and at the moment his mind was blank to any brilliant plans. Nearly all the soldiers knew his highly recognizable face, so sneaking in with the crowd during the day would be futile. If what the woman heard was true he needed information, his life and his friend's lives could depend on it. He realized that the woman was staring at him waiting for some reply and so he spoke.

"That's just wonderful," he responded sarcastically, "it seems as if almost all of Hyrule has lost their manners lately."

"Oh, and to be sure that's just what I've been saying," the old lady told him solemnly. "So far you've been the most respectful person on our entire journey. First the bad-mannered people and then the bulblins, at least we have not been set upon by the murderous outlaws and their traitorous leader that inhabit the woods. We were warned to be staying clear of the woods by the soldiers we passed on the way here. We have shortened our route to be avoiding that area."

"Yeah, you had best avoid those horrid honor-less outlaws, especially their evil leader," he replied his tone still sarcastic, an odd smile playing across his face. "There is no telling what lawless mischief they are up too."

The lady stared at him pointedly before smiling shrewdly at him. "I see the tare has more honor than the wheat."

'Tare, it was an old word for darnel grass, a weed that was commonly found in grain fields. It was an immense pain to deal with at harvest time,' he recalled this well from experience. The lady's cryptic statement was a compliment. He smiled at her giving her a courteous nod, almost like a half bow.

"Please," she told him still smiling, "pick any thing you fancy."

Link did not really want anything and he was going to refuse, because he had not done this for a reward, when he recalled something Uli had told him about nomads. To them it was considered rude and disrespectful to refuse a gift. So, he looked over the contents of the chest.

His eyes lit up with pleasure and a mischievous smirk crossed his face as his gaze fell upon a beautifully crafted dress made of finely woven blue and purple fabric. The dress was made in the traditional wanderer's style. They were well known for their brightly colored flowing gowns. His early dilemma was suddenly solved. He had an idea, a rather amusing, if not slightly degrading, risky idea. He took the dress from the lady and bought a few other things form her as well. If this plan worked he might be able to show his face, to a certain extent, around castle town and anywhere else he was banned from.

**~x~X~x~**

The next day, very late in the afternoon, a beautiful young girl minced into Castle Town. She, or rather he, had simply walked passed all the guards. Link smiled to himself, they obviously did not recognize him in the slightest, but then again, how could they?

Fado, one of his friends from Ordon, had told him on many occasions that he had almost what could be considered a fair face. It was not feminine but it was not exactly manly either, not quite childish but not obviously mature looking. Fado had been teasing him at the time, reveling in his recently gained masculine figure and rugged features, teasing Link because he had not yet grown to be so tall or manly looking. Although Fado had meant it as a joke it was partially true and Link had used this to his advantage.

He had used rice powder and borrowed some of Telma's face paints to transform his face into that of a lady. He had bought a headband and some hair extensions from the wanderer the day before. She had many unusual but useful odds and ends to sell. He had blackened his hair, eyebrows and the extensions with lamp black. He did his hair in a fashionable manner, curling the two ringlets of hair in the front and then pulling the rest of his front hair into a bun and let his back hair cascade down is back. With some jewelry, also borrowed from Telma, to transform him the rest of the way, he hardly recognized himself when he was finished.

To further hide himself he had practiced making his voice sound feminine. He found that if he spoke softly in the upper registers with a slight accent he could make himself sound pretty girly. His voice was not completely perfect so he decided to hold his silence whenever possible, but it was good enough to work for him. The sleeves on the dress he wore came to a point over the back of his hands and were long enough to hide his triforce birthmark. The clever lines of the dress, its high collar, and its pleated gathered bodice hid his rather manly figure and tricked the eye into thinking he had curves where he didn't, and some cleverly placed padding only aided the disguise. All this was rather humiliating to him but he needed information badly so it was necessary, besides Zelda, he frowned at the memeory, had told him a tale of her ancestor disguising herself as a male shekah to fight and if it had worked for her he was sure it could work for him.

As he walked past the guards, in a lady like manner, it was all he could do to keep his cheeks from burning and from bursting out into laughter for two reasons. One reason, he had just walked right under his enemies' noses, and two, a young gate guard was making ogle eyes at him. He could not help giving that guard an impish smile and a slight wave as he passed by. Men were so fickle when it came to ladies, and he should know, he was, after all, a teenage boy himself. Personally thoughts in that direction shamed him, but that was not true of everyone and that might just work to his advantage. Random tangent aside, he focused in on his mission.

The old wanderer lady had mentioned something about a battle and he was curious. It was a plan that was working rather well so far, although it had taken him a bit of practice to get used to walking in a skirt. His foot caught for the twentieth time on the long hem and he faltered for a moment.

Obviously he still needed more practice. He glared at the silky skirt. 'Ridiculous things,' he decided, 'they made it rather difficult to run or go up stairs. Actually,' he amended, 'they made it rather difficult to do anything.' Especially since his skirt covered his toes. The reasoning behind women's fondness for them was beyond him. On the way over here had felt like tearing the annoying thing to sheds on numerous occasions.

He was busy thinking up his next move, focusing hard on not tripping over his skirt again, and trying not to walk with the striding gait of a soldier or farmer- which was difficult- so consequently he was not paying very much attention to where he was going. He walked halfway inside the bakers open stall space. The large raggedy bear-like man look up angrily at him.

"What do you want?" he asked roughly.

Obviously no social graces had ever worn of the coarse man. Link shook his head in reply to the man's harsh inquiry and took a step back.

"Well if you have no intention of buying anything then go back home where a girl like you belongs!"

'Why, the sexist pig,' Link thought to himself angrily, 'It's no wonder Ashei is so defensive when it came to stereotypes like that.'

"I beg your pardon sir," Link said in his softest sweetest tone, "and sure there's no reason for you to be fretting, I'll move quickly like." It was imperative for him to not draw to much attention to himself, so he knew he had to make himself scarce.

He quickly stepped away, but the baker kept up his screeching and ranting. Link decided that if he ever got the chance he would sick Ashei on the baker to give him a taste of real femininity.

As he turned to go on his way, he saw a familiar face near the fountain in the center of the plaza. It was Ilia; and she was headed in his direction a look of concern in her eyes. For a moment, Link wanted go toward the her, but he suppressed the urge and quickly changed direction to avoid her. He couldn't endanger her and he couldn't let his cover be blown. He had no idea what she was doing here but her timing couldn't have been worse.

Unfortunately for him, Ilia seemed determined to talk to him, and soon she caught up.

"Hey," she said, "I saw what the baker did. If you're hungry I can get you something."

Before Link could protest he was being led though the city's busy market streets by his friend Ilia who he had not seen since he was banished. He was rather surprised that Ilia had not recognized him straight off; after all they had been friends since childhood. On the other hand it was safe to bet that she would not expect him to do something like this, and the failing light of the setting sun only aided in hiding his identity. She led him to a back alley where the poorer venders were, and she bought two bread rolls, one for each of them.

"I'm sorry about how the kingdom has been behaving lately," she said sadly. "Something odd has gotten into the princess, and well, the laws are changing. One of my best friends got charged with treason…" Her voice trailed off. "I have no idea why I am telling you this; I don't even know your name." She stared at him pointedly with her beautiful green eyes as she flicked her light blond hair out them with a gentile toss of her head.

"Marrah," Link interjected simply. Marrah was a common enough name. He stared at her pointedly, wondering if she was playing along with him or if she really did not recognize him.

"There is just something about you I seem to want to trust," she continued. "If you will pardon me saying so, you look so kind and friendly almost like I know you. Sorry," she apologized, "if I seem blunt or rude."

"Oh it is alright," he replied, "it is kind for you to be saying so, and I would gladly return the compliment. It is always nice to be making a new friend." 'Or rather an old friend,' he said to himself smiling; she seriously had no clue.

"My friend used to smile like that." Ilia laughed. "In fact you look a lot like him except for the black hair and your very feminine appearance, maybe you're related."

"Sure and it would be nice to have another relation, maybe you could be introducing me to him sometime." Then noticing Ilia's sad expression, he added mischievously, "unless he is the very friend you mentioned earlier, the traitor."

"He is no traitor," Ilia said firmly. "I know he was framed."

Link felt a huge weight lifted off of him when she said those words and felt like sighing in relief; so she didn't hate him.

"He was not framed," the sound of a familiar childish voice interrupted their conversation, one that Link recognized immediately: Malo.

Link and Ilia wheeled round to look at the conversational intruder, directly behind them stood Talo's younger brother. When the land had been invaded by Twilight, the young villagers from Ordon had been forcibly taken from their homes by Shadow Beasts and were taken in by the Shaman of Kakariko. During this time Malo, being highly intelligent despite his young age, had found that he had a head for business. When the kingdom was saved his parents, recognizing his skill, had sent him to Kakariko and then Castle Town for an apprenticeship and he had been there since. Although he was intelligent he never quite had a skill for manners.

"He," Malo said arrogantly, "was a power hungry fool, ever since we were little I could tell he was only after power. He would try anything to get it, I believe. The idiot, he deserved everything he got. I feel badly for you," he said looking directly at Link, "bearing even a slight resemblance to that traitor is no compliment, it is a shame."

Link felt that he would explode with anger and indignation. Why the rude ungrateful little hypocrite. He wanted to punch the arrogant snot right in his pudgy baby face, but he strove calm his rage and speak civilly. Malo continued to stare hard at his face, a bit too hard for his liking. He pulled out one of the two fans he carried, which matched his outfit, and feigned to be bothered by the heat of the warm summer night. Really he was trying to inconspicuously hide his face as much as he could, as he spoke in his ladylike wanderer accent.

"I'm sure sorry to be hearing that, you must be sad that he's gone then, seeing as how you're so alike. I have seen your picture all over castle town and all the businesses you are trying to control. Tell me, was he as self absorbed and egotistical as you? Or is that trait all your own?"

Malo spluttered angrily before muttering, "You really should keep better company Ilia." With that he turned and walked away.

"I apologize for my friend's rudeness." Ilia chucked at Malo's retreating figure. "Clever," she smiled, "insulting him back all without really saying a rude word. He was supposed to be helping my father and I get supplies for our village, but he has been swept completely away by the gossip and ridiculous hatred of the time." She said sadly. My fr-" her thought process was interrupted by a disturbance at the end of the street. A beggar boy had just been caught stealing by two soldiers, and was being hauled off roughly.

"Oh, no!" Ilia cried, "The penalty of steeling is so very hash since the laws changed, we have to help the poor boy." She looked pleadingly towards her new companion.

"What would be the penalty?" Link asked concerned, still in charater.

"Probably a public flogging," she said through clenched teeth. "The poor boy was only trying to keep himself from starving. Will you come with me to help?"

"Sure, of course I'll help, but wouldn't it be a good idea to first-"

"No time," Ilia said and grabbed his hand before he could finish his sentence. "We have to find out where they plan to take him and fast," she said, as she followed the guards at a safe distance.

The last light from the setting sun cast an eerie glow and made odd shadow patterns on the buildings and walls as they crept silently after the guards.

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**Thanks for reading! As usual feedback is appreciated. I am sorry if this chapter wasn't as interesting or exciting as usual, but it was more or less a set up chapter. Cliff hanger will be resolved next week, scouts honor (even though I have never actual been one XP.) So, yes, I did make Malo a bit of a jerk, but he always seemed to be that way to me, also he is a little kid in the most turmoil filled place of the country so I think he would be pretty impressionable and swept away with the beliefs of the time. And I also believe he is the type to judge people based on how he would judge himself. (To all Malo fans out there (which definitely does not include me) I mean no disrespect) XD **

**Note -Before I hear anything about it, I just want to clarify one thing -I am not and never would insinuate that Link is gay. As far as I can interpret every single one of them has been straight. I have totally nothing against anyone who is that, or likes that, but I just don't write yaoi. I mean absolutely no offense whatsoever to anyone and sincerely apologize if anybody happened to take offense. It just happens to be a personal preference of mine to not include that in my writing, ever. I hope I made it clear enough with his interior monologues and dialogue that he is not that way, but if not, you know for sure now. He is merely disguising himself in a way that he absolutely would not be recognized and that is all. (Please excuse the rant :) **

**QUESTION:**

**Was there any character that surprised or impressed you in the way he/she was developed?**

**I would probably say that Midna bot surprised an impressed me with their development, I half expected her to turn traitor for the first couple of dungeons and I loved the way she turned out. I also liked how Groose's character improved dramatically.**


	20. Feminine Charm?

**A/N:** Hello guys :D sorry to anybody who was hoping to see Zelda in this chapter but never fear She will be the main focus for next week's chapter, which will be the prequel to their final confrontation. Just so you know after this chapter the tone will be getting darker and probably staying darker. *Word of warning* this chapter has a very slight hint towards suggestive content; nothing serious or anything just a hint but it would be rude if I did not mention it ahead of time. :D Thank you all for your interest and support! May you all have an Epic week!

**MiniJen-** Thanks so much :) Oh dear I hope I didn't keep you up too late XD. Dang, I forgot all about Byrne he was one of my favorite characters too.

**Generala-** Thank you. :D Yeah, I feel bad for him too. Malo definitely has some pride issues going on, I mean what kind of person would want their picture up all over the kingdom (eewwww, I wouldn't if I was that ugly) Oh, I hope I didn't make her seem ooc-ish to you. Colin is pretty epic.

**DestinyPrincess289-** I hope I didn't scar your eyes and he is still the same person inside O.O XP Sheik and Midna are awesome!

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony-** I love you too amazing Jenna :3 Thanks :D and yes it is pretty sad ;_; Yeah, maybe I will reach 100,000 that would be pretty cool.

**Narita-** Thanks for your reviews they were awesome. Your story sounds like it will be cool. Yeah that would probably hurt a lot for anyone. :) I am glad you think Kasran is awesome. :)

**AnimeMaster24-** The way you described Malo made me laugh, thank you so much for your review. Yup the end is coming soon. I thought Ralph was cool too.

**Yami no Nokutan-** I like your new name it's pretty cool. D'aaawww *humongous dorky grin* you called me a genius I am so honored. :P I won't even tell you how many times I have had to rewrite my writing. It is the most infuriating thing ever, no matter how many times I proof read it I keep on finding dumb mistakes. I hope your next chapters come easier for you. Thanks for the mention it is super apriciated :) Link is going to have some serious straightening to do. Thank you!

**ArianandXaia-** Yeah, Malo kinda deserves a several hour rant. Unless they thought he was getting the dress for his girlfriend they probably thought he some major problems. Thank you :D

**Scarlet Curls-** I'm glad you got some amusement out of it XD The dominion rod sounds cool (nothing quite like bludgeoning your enemies to death or crushing them with statues, it's super stress relieving :P) I think Fi was developed pretty good also. I was sad to see her go (especially when that music started playing) It made my ultra-sensitive little brother burst into tears. (No kidding)

**xXx skytale xXx-** That would be pretty embarrassing. I agree with you about Malo and Linebeck. And I am working on the short Ninjago story, just to let you know since I can't PM you. :)

My gratitude also goes to these awesome people as well, **Epic Snow, Bronze, Naruto Sakura Uzumaki, AssasinKitsune, and Gojira Geek**!

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**Feminine Charm?**

The soldiers began to make the arduous journey to the other side of the city to take the boy to where the pillories were situated. They were at the end of a street near the cold looming battlements of the surrounding wall. 'Marrah' and Ilia were half-way there, crouching behind some barrels at the edge of a street corner, watching, waiting, and listening. The two soldiers they were trailing had stopped near a guard house to talk to another group of sentries. Both Link and Ilia remained completely silent. Link strained his ears to pick up the low hum of conversation. This detour was ruining his plans of getting information, and, assuming that this would be the only chance he would probably get, he prayed that the soldiers would give away something helpful.

He was not disappointed when his ears finally caught on to the muffled strains of conversation.

"We don't need this extra aggravation right now," one of the guards growled in displeasure as he gestured at the terrified boy, "We've already had more than enough trouble with the fat one."

"We don't have the time to be acting like law keepers when we have the princess's campaign to prepare for," A second one agreed. "We only have three days left till we invade."

"Full force too, can you imagine?" The first soldier said, "Though I suppose it is necessary, this madness with those law breakers has gone on far too long. You three," he gestured to three young looking soldiers, "you will have to take on guard duty tonight. Bring the boy to the stocks and guard him and the other man. We will deal with their punishment first thing in the morning."

Link's mind whirled when he heard the conversation and pieced it together in his mind. So it was true that the princess was sending her entire army out to destroy him and the outlaws. She was going to lead a war against her own former subjects in three days' time. He needed to get back to the outlaws immediately; they only had three days to prepare to fight or run away. Logically, he knew he should leave right now, but he couldn't and wouldn't abandon Ilia. If she were caught now things would quickly turn deadly for her. He would never let a boy be flogged for stealing a piece of bread either.

"We need to wait here until the other guards clear out so we won't be seen," he whispered to Ilia. At least he did not have to bother changing his voice when he whispered. He debated whether or not to tell her who he was but decided against it, it would be safer for her if she didn't know, and safer for him.

As they crouched in silence behind the barrels and boxes, he saw Ilia glaring at a piece of paper tacked to the ally wall behind her. Link felt his breath catch slightly when he realized it was another stupid wanted poster of him. Ilia stared at the paper then turned to him with a furious expression on her face. Link met her gaze in curious expectation, but instead of calling him out on his deception like he halfway expected, she angrily reached up, snatched the poster, and crumpled it.

"I hate these stupid things, Marrah," she said softly by way of explanation.

Link made no comment and instead turned back towards the guard house just in time to see the last of the soldiers head inside.

"Come on," Ilia whispered, "now the coast is clear."

When they neared the place where the soldiers had taken the child, Ilia whispered. "Here's the plan, when we get there you distract them and I will free the boy."

"Distract them? How?!" Link protested.

"I don't know, use your feminine charm."

"Feminine charm?" Link all but squeaked. "But-"

"No time to argue," Ilia said as they reached the last bend in the ally, "we need to act now." with that she began to yank him from the safety of the shadows.

He resisted and pulled her back with a harsh whisper, "We need to see what we are up against before we just dash out of cover."

Ilia slowly nodded and remained still. Using the darkness of night to their advantage, they cautiously poked their heads around the corner of the dilapidated building that they had secured themselves behind. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the gloom of the shadowy courtyard in front of them, Link immediately searched for any good defensive or attacking points and for the numbers they were up against. There were only the three young soldiers barring their path. He was just about to direct his gaze towards the stocks when he was distracted by a strangled choking gasp from Ilia, he turned towards her to see tears brimming in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" he asked her in a hushed whisper.

"Father…" she managed to gasp, before she covered her mouth with a hand.

"What?" he followed her line of sight towards the stocks and clenched his teeth in horror filled rage. Mayor Bo of Ordon was imprisoned right next to the helpless boy.

"You have to help me free them both," Ilia whispered softly

Link merely nodded, he dared not speak for fear his angry voice would give him away.

"There are only three guards," Ilia said, stepping boldly out from behind cover before Link could even stop her. He could only follow in her wake.

They were spotted instantly by the soldiers.

"Hey! Civilians are not allowed in this area after sunset, state your business immediately." They threatened as they brandished their spears.

Link's mind raced for an excuse, when Ilia spoke up instead.

"I beg your pardon," she said "we are traveling entertainers and we're new to this town and well, we got lost. I don't suppose you could show us the way to the main square."

The guards lowered their spears.

"Entertainers, eh?" said the youngest of the three guards, who was not more that eighteen. In fact all of them were rather young. Link's face grew hot with a blush when he became aware of the manner in which the three soldiers were staring at them.

'Nuisances,' Link muttered to himself. It must be rather tedious being a woman in the company of teenage men. 'If only they realized who they were staring at with their love struck gazes,' he thought.

"What kind of entertainers?" finished his companion curiously.

"We," Ilia said happily, "are singers. For brave knights such as you are, we could do a song free of charge."

"That would be nice," one of the guards said, "it gets rater lonely and boring for us out here all night."

"Come on sing harmony with me," Ilia whispered urgently.

"But I don't sing," Link protested. This was not exactly true; he was a rather passable singer in his normal voice. Unfortunately for him, he was disguised as a girl and his normal voice would most defiantly not do. He had never before tried to sing in the upper octaves- for he was a tenor- and actually make it sound convincing.

"Well you sing now," Ilia whispered and began. She her voice echoed through the cloudy night in a light clear soprano. Link had no choice but to join in, in a very soft lower alto that bordered on tenor, there was no way he could sing soprano. Together they sang an old farming song with a haunting minor tune. It was an Old Ordon ballad originally intended to be sung to a lover, but the song's eerie melody, the darkened night, and the two singer's less than honorable intents, made the interwoven strains sound beautifully foreboding. It seemed to captivate their listeners and sent a shiver down Links spine as he sang.

_"Siúil, siúil, a rún_

_Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom_

_Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán_

_Siúil, siúil, a rún_

_Come take my hand and we'll walk in the twilight_

_On through moonlit fields, and forests of night_

_Where the sky shines with starlight _

_Bathing shadows with light _

_Come follow me and away we will flee_

_Siúil, siúil, a rún_

_Siúil, siúil, a rún_

_We'll dance by the stream near the silent waters rushing _

_Where it gleams as the gems in the mist's finger's touch_

_Where the wind's murmurs sigh _

_In their whispering hush _

_We'll stay for a while and sing, siúil, a rún._

_Siúil, siúil, a rún_

_Siúil go doras agus éalaigh liom_

_Is go dté tú mo mhúirnín slán_

_Siúil, siúil, a rún"_ *****

When they had finished, the guards clapped and then the youngest of the three spoke, "Although we would love to show you the way to the main square, we cannot leave our posts. I'm afraid the best we can do is point you in the right direction."

Link stole a worried glance at Bo, the captured boy, and Ilia, this was not working.

Ilia replied with her thanks then she urgently whispered to Link. "Distract them now! I need you to faint."

'Faint?!' He wanted to cry out angrily, 'I do not and have never fainted,' but he swallowed his indignation and obliged. After all, he thought cheekily, he was supposed to be a beautiful delicate young lady. He caught the attention of the guards by swooning over in a convincing manner. This disguise was becoming rather irritating, he decided, as his limp body made contact with the rough flagstones of the courtyard.

The soldiers immediately raced to help the fallen beauty. While the guards were distracted, Ilia snuck of to try to free the captives. She went to the boy first since he was closest. Unfortunately, she was having a problem with the lock; it was taking longer than she intended. The catch finally gave way and she turned towards her father but at that exact moment the youngest guard turned and saw her.

"Villain!" he cried, "Thief's accomplice!" The guards, temporarily forgetting Marrah, brandished their spears and advanced upon the hapless Ilia and the terrified beggar boy. Ilia found herself backing into a corner.

"You," the oldest guard said angrily, "will serve out the same sentence as the beggar boy and the old man when we catch you. The princess has ordered that the man be flogged and the same goes for the boy because of his thieving. And maybe besides that," he added with a sick smile, "you and your friend can help pay personally for your crimes lies and wasting our time," the oldest one said licking his lips as he swiftly turned back towards Link who was just starting to pretended to wake, and pinned him down with a look that Link did not find himself liking very much.

"Why don't you sing for me again wench?" he sneered at Link

Ilia's eyes grew wide with fear as the two remaining guards drew nearer. Everything seemed lost. She met her father's horrified gaze as he bellowed for the soldiers to get back. She turned desperately to Marrah, only to see her trapped underneath one of the soldiers. She saw Marrah's face contort in an expression of disturbed disgust, as the soldier that trapped her leaned in inappropriately close. The solder laughed as began to make an advance. Almost faster than her eye could follow, Marrah freed her left arm from where it was pinioned above her head. Her unencumbered hand formed into a fist and cracked into the soldiers face. Ilia was aghast at the staggering force behind the blow as the soldier flew backwards and crumpled to the ground unconscious. Marrah was obviously extremely strong for a woman, a talent that had not been obviously apparent by her seemingly average stature.

Ilia's focus darted back to the two men that were after her with their spears. They had completely missed the exchange between the girl and their fellow guard behind them. One of them pushed forwards with his pike and she felt the iron tip make a brief light contact with her side as she back away as far as she could go. She felt the cold menacing presence of the wall behind her, she had nowhere to run. The beggar boy huddled whimpering at her feet. Then, she saw her new friend heave herself into one of her two assailants, bowling him over. With a cry of pain he folded to the ground in writhing misery. The last remaining soldier wheeled around angrily, determined to help his friend.

Ilia screamed a warning. The guard skillfully twirled his spear. Marrah took out her two fans and took up an offensive pose. The spear wheedling guard laughed and thrust forward with his weapon. Marrah stuck up her fan like it was a shield, and the spear penetrated the fabric, but before it reached her, with a deft movement she shut the fan halting the weapons progress whilst twisting it skillfully out of the guards hand to clatter to the ground. The guard was no longer laughing as he drew his dagger and advanced on the fan fighting girl. Ilia watched open mouthed as Marrah dodged and parried every dagger thrust with her fans, getting in blows with her feet and fists all the while. Ilia then shifted herself into action; she grabbed the fallen spear and clubbed the guard over the head with considerable force. Without so much as surveying her handiwork she ran to free her father.

The lock on the stocks clicked open and Ilia pulled away the wood that encumbered her father just in time to see the second guard recover from being trampled. He rose to his feet, drew his dagger, and aimed it at Marrah, but she was faster. She drew her hairpin which, Ilia realized, was not really a hairpin but a cleverly disguised dagger. Before the guard could throw his weapon, he found his sleeve pinned to the wall by the hairpin dagger. Ilia's father took the opportunity to knock the man senseless before folding into a sitting position, breathing hard.

Ilia knelt at her father's side. From her position she could see Marrah whisper something to the young boy and together the two of them put all the unconscious soldiers into the stocks. When she was finished Marah rushed over to where Ilia was tending to her father. She pushed the long black strands that had escaped her headband and hair tie out of her face and knelt beside them with a worried expression.

"All you alright father?" Ilia asked, her voice barely above a whisper as she took in his slightly bruised face.

"Just fine," he assured her, as he took a deep breath and winced. "I just fell a bit light headed and my muscles are a cramped from staying in that position for so many hours."

Ilia wrapped her arms around his neck, a few tears stinging her eyes. "I thought you were back at our room in the inn. What happened?"

"Well, I got the wagon and the horse we rented all packed and ready to go for our departure, but when I was at the stables I happened to run into that fat pompous knight that tried to take our food about a week ago. He recognized me and made up some charge or other about me breaking the law." He scratched the top of his great bald head in a slightly embarrassed gesture. "I am afraid I punched him in the face."

Link reached towards Ordon's mayor in a mix of anger and sympathy. Bo was like and uncle to him, an interwoven piece of his village's extended family. His hand made contact with Bo's back and he felt his entire being go steely cold with fury when his touch encountered something hot a sticky. He pulled away with a soft gasp that was joined with Ilia's cry as she saw his hand and the five long cuts on his back. Link looked at the blood on his hand and he felt his body tense. This time Zelda had gone too far, this was the equivalent of throwing her gauntlet at his feet.******

"Just a few carless stroke of a whip dealt in anger, nothing more," Bo said to calm his daughter before she could begin one of her customary rants.

Ilia looked as if she were about to explode with indignation before she calmed herself with a visible effort. Link guessed it was more out of fear of being overheard by any soldiers on patrol than any actual placation on the part of her father.

"I don't know how much longer I or anyone else in the kingdom will be able to put up with all this… this… mess." She finished in a harsh whisper.

Once again Link could not trust himself to speak as he looked on seething in anger. He wanted to scream out Zelda's name in a fit of rage. Every day more and more people were being hurt and he felt that he was partially to blame for this because of his indecision, his inability to decide whether to retreat or attack. It had gone on far enough and this was compounded by the news that the princess was planning on openly attacking her own subjects. He knew he was going to have to act; there would be no more time for hesitation.

"What are we going to do? Won't you become a fugitive if you escape?"

"If we go back to Ordon I doubt the soldiers will dare to go there after us," Bo said thoughtfully. "Thanks to Link the soldiers have been very reluctant to travel the forest roads. I doubt we will have to worry and this way Ordon will get its supplies. If the solders do decide to go after me, we will deal with it when the time comes."

Link turned worriedly to the two of them, "Are you sure? If those guards take it in to their heads to be telling what happened, you could be finding yourself in a lot of trouble."

Ilia thought about it for a moment then spoke. "I believe my dad is right and also, those guards are not going to tell that they got beaten by a pair of girls. They are probably going to lie and blame this all on Link and his outlaws," she said sadly.

'And they wouldn't know how right they would be,' he thought to himself with sardonic humor.

"By the way," Ilia said turning to her dad, "I forgot to introduce you. Dad this is my friend Marrah."

Link stuck out his hand for the Mayor to grasp in one of his all too familiar crushing bear-grips.

"You are quite the fighter, for a girl," Bo said seeming genuinely impressed.

Together the four of them began to leave the courtyard. After giving his thanks, the beggar boy ran off, leaving Ilia, Link, and Bo to walk back to the castle gates alone, heading to where Bo had left his wagon and horse.

"Where will you go, Marrah?" Ilia asked as they walked along together.

"Where ever I decide to?" Link said vaguely in his girly accented voice.

"On your own?" Ilia spluttered, before she relented, "I suppose you can take care of yourself. I have to admit that what you did back there was pretty amazing."

"I am quite a believer in defending myself," Link said.

"With fans and jewelry," Ilia teased.

"Well one of my fans is ruined now, thanks to that spear." Link told her feigning sadness. "I would like to be giving you the undestroyed one as a parting gift, if you'll accept it," he asked her kindly, mimicking the gift giving fashion of the nomads.

Ilia accepted it happily, "You have a rather nice singing voice although it's pitch lower than I expected."

"Oh and that's because, where I am from, all women sing tenor," he said making a mock serious face, "that is except the men, they sing soprano."

Ilia laughed and nudged him playfully. They had reached the gate.

"If you are going towards Ordon village you could ride with us," Ilia said hopefully.

Link thought about it for a moment before agreeing and climbing abroad with her and Bo.

By wagon, the journey went fairly quickly and, for the most part, was made in silence. Link offered to drive so Ilia could tend to her father's minor injuries in the back of the wagon. When they reached the fringe of the woodland Link halted the horse's progress. He hopped down and went to say goodbye to Ilia. Bo had fallen asleep in the back of the wagon.

They embraced each other and Link whispered, "I hope to see you again soon, and," he added feeling slightly mischievous and a little guilty that she had not yet guessed who he was he added, "I am sorry about deceiving you, but I believe it was necessary for your safety," as he tuned to walk off into the night.

Ilia looked a little perplexed by his statement, still not taking the hint but she waved at him none the less.

"Good-bye," She called as Link rushed off. "I hope I will see you again."

Because she had not figured it out yet, he shouted back in his normal voice, "Ilia, it _was_ nice to see you again."

He only got so savor her surprised expression for a moment as he hurried away. As he raced into the night he heard Ilia's indignant voice shouting after him.

"Link!? You…you… you… rouge, that was not funny, you should be ashamed of yourself! The next time I see your face I swear I'm going to… to…" her tirade ended in a frustrated yell.

He did, however, hear her laughter in the distance so she obviously did think it was funny. He smiled as he headed back to the forest hideout of the outlaws; it had been nice to see Ilia again even if the circumstances had been awful, concerning what had happened to Bo, and extremely awkward. When he thought about that unsavory soldier he felt his face heat up in a humiliated disgusted blush that was not visible because of the makeup he wore. He was glad that that man would be spending the night in the stocks. It was little wonder that he had never risen higher than the lowest possible rank for a soldier.

It was nearly morning when he got back to camp. He tried to inconspicuously sneak to his personal camping spot but Ashei and Telma were on watch and spotted him. When they saw him they almost started to cry they were laughing so hard.

"I knew you were up to something when I saw you with that dress yesterday but I never expected this," Ashei laughed.

"I admit I wouldn't have recognized you," Telma said between laughs, "except that I recognized my jewelry that you borrowed."

Their laughed died abruptly when he told them of what he had learned.

"Where is Rusl?" Link asked as he had not seen him in his customary spot and was not on watch, "He would want to know of this as soon as possible."

Telma nodded gravely, "That he would, honey. He snuck of in the dead of night to visit his family. It has been a couple months since he's seen them you know."

Link nodded his understanding frowning slightly, "That was a bit risky."

"So was what you just did," Ashei pointed out bluntly.

"True," he nodded his agreement with a smirk.

He had already started to wipe off the makeup when he decided to use what was left of his disguise to go to Ordon and find Rusl. Although a lot of his makeup was gone, he doubted he would run into trouble at this early hour, so off he went to Uli's house. Once he reached his destination he knocked on the door.

When Uli opened the door, he said in his girly voice, "I don't suppose you would be having a room and maybe some food for a poor and weary traveler by chance."

Uli stared at him for a long moment before she cried out, "The impudent rascal-ness of you, get in the house before someone sees you!"

"Oh and I am afraid it is far too late for that," he continued speaking in his accent, "the whole of castle town has already filled their eyes with my feminine charm and beauty," he teased.

Uli looked horrified, "You went right under the princess's nose, dressed like that?"

"If it works," he said in his normal voice with a grin, quoting one of her favorite sayings.

Once he was inside Rusl and Colin stared at him in the same manner Uli had just a moment before, and they burst into laughter, and a spiel of raucous jibes directed at him. Once their mirth had subsided, Link admitted quietly, "Although my manner in coming may be amusing, what I have to say is not." Rusl and his family listened sadly as he told what he had heard the guards say. The room was completely hushed as the import of his words hit home.

Rusl looked nearly ten years older as he slouched in his chair muttering, "How did it ever come to this?"

No one presented and answer to his question and Rusl spoke again.

"This is it." He said sounding awed or horrified, "We need to find a new place to hide and fast."

"I say we meet them at the border of the forest and stop them," Link said boldly.

"That is the very reason we haven't done anything before; two armies meeting like that would bring about the civil war that you are opposed to," Rusl protested vehemently.

"No, it won't because I have a plan," Link said with a smile that never reached his eyes. There were deeds that needed to be accounted for and evil that had to be stopped. He was going to have to face Zelda, the woman who had crushed and taken away everything he had ever known, the woman who had hurt and uprooted more people than he could count. He sensed a dark, empty, hollow feeling of dread and anger growing inside his chest by the moment. It was dark and foreboding almost like he was losing himself in brooding blackness, but deep in his heart he knew there was no other way.

Uli was horrified and whited faced, Colin nearly started to cry. Link could not say he felt any happier about the situation than they did, but he knew something had to be done before their kingdom would be lost in war. During the ride back to Faron woods he had been puzzling over what to do, and he was fairly sure of a course to set, even though the plan he had in mind sent his body whirling in a wave of dread. He tried to shake the feeling as he looked around at the stricken faces of his family. He hated to see them like this, especially Colin. He smiled sadly at them and spoke.

"Now that that unsavory news is out of the way, I say we move on to the most important question of the evening, one that many people have contemplated over the years but few have ever found the answer to." he smiled more broadly as their attention swung back to him, "Does this dress make me look fat?" He asked innocently.

"Link," Uli half scolded with a chuckle as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

***the refrains in this song, like the other, are in Gaelic and are roughly translated to mean**

**Go,(or sometimes Siúil has been interoperated as come or walk) go, my love**

**Go to the door and fly with me**

**And may you go safely, my darling**

** Go, go, my love**

**The song can be sung/read to the tune of ****_sleepsong _****by Secret Garden, from the start to about 1:41 in, as it was more or less my inspiration. I was also inspired by ****_Siúil, a Rún_****by Celtic Woman, credits to them.**

****for those who may not know, if an offence existed between two knights throwing a gauntlet at the other person was basically challenging them to a duel, thus my metaphor.**

**Thanks for reading! Take some time to leave a review if you want :) they are greatly appreciated. I was sort of inspired by Mulan and Madmartigan from Willow if you couldn't tell. :3**

**QUESTION:**

**Do any of you actually think that Link is mute? I see this a lot in stories art descriptions and discussions and I would like to hear your thoughts on the matter.**

**I personally do not because SS Link can give responses to people and if you look at one of the first cut scenes in TP Link appears to be having a conversation with Ilia as he is riding back from herding goats (I mean his Ilia seems to respond to him and his mouth is moving as if he is speaking and that would be rather odd to do that if no sound was coming out of him. Sure I sops he could have been lips syncing but that's so much harder to interpret then signing. I mean perhaps some of the Links are but I don't think they all are.**


	21. The Last Ploy

**A/N:** top of the morning to everybody! (or afternoon or evening depending on where you are) :P so I am finally bringing in Zelda and today is the day she tries her desperate plan to break free from her enemy and save everyone from a terrible fate. And I also threw in a little bit of Link, Shad, and Ashei terrorizing some poor defenseless (actually fully armed) soldiers to liven things up a bit XD. I want to thank you all for reading and may pleasant seasons and fair winds travel before you all! *dorky grin*

**MiniJen-** thanks for the vote of confidence I am trying my best to make it epic.

**Gojira Geek-** that's a pretty interesting theory and I think you could be right (at least in my opinion)

**ArianandXaia-** I personally loved Willow and the Brownies and Madmartigan were my favorites. There were a few creepy parts, but I still loved it. Yeah if you can't tell by the face the voice is always a dead giveaway XP

**AssassinKitsune-** thanks and I just couldn't resist making him say that XD

**Anonymous-** It's one of my favorites to I just found it for the first time about a month ago and I am super glad I did. I hope your heart attack wasn't fatal I'd hat for you to miss the end XD thanks for the review.

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony-** awwww thanks. Yeah those guards need to be knocked upside the head if you ask me. The chapter after this shall reveal Link's plan. :)

**AnimeMaster24-** yeah I suppose not I don't think I have ever read a book in which I drooled over every chapter. That being said I am sorry you did not like last chapter so much ;_; but one can only every try their best. Any suggestions as to how I can improve it? I hope this one will be more to your tastes. Thanks for the review! :)

**Yami no Nokutan-** thanks you! It's on Wednesdays because during the school year I had classes on every day of the week except for the weekends and Wednesdays (on which I did homework and found the time to write.) Now that school is out I suppose it could be another day, but after so many months it has become a sort of habit. I hate it when my favorite characters die. It seems to happen a lot to me, the characters I pick as my favorites either die or turn evil (either I have awful taste in characters or writers enjoy destroying the awesome ones. *pouts*) I am glad my story helped ease your sorrow a bit XD.

**Whisty-** Cool new name! I always thought it was hilarious every time Robin Hood did that in books/movies. Thanks for the review! :)

**Guest-** Thanks and I'll see what happens :)

**UC394-** Yeah I agree with you, we wouldn't want depression now would we :P thanks for the answer!

**Scarlet Curls-** My move now :P I loved that episode in Avatar. Poor Sokka XD I loved it when Zuko inadvertently called him a little girl in the battle at the end *sniggers* yeah I agree with you, gotta love the artistic freedom :)

**xXx skytale xXx-** how could you say such a horrible thing? XD poor Link, now you hurt his feelings :P Thank you!

**Generala-** yeah I think it is kind of cute when he's that way too. I have started to try to read some of your stories it just takes me a little while longer than usual because I am still new to Spanish so please forgive any reviews I make in the future that are rather awkwardly phrased. Thanks for the review.

* * *

**The La****st Ploy**

Zelda sat up slowly in her bed and glanced around. Everything was quiet. Cautiously, she pushed her blankets aside and gingerly stepped onto the floor of her chamber. With silent footfalls she crossed the room.

In two days the Empress would force her to lead her army against Link and his rebellion. On that day her country would be forced into a civil war and her kingdom would be destroyed so a dark empire could rise from the ashes. Action had to be taken and it had to be taken soon. It had to be stealthy she could not let her enemy find out about her schemes. It was horribly dangerous to do something but now she believed it would be even worse to do nothing.

She had spent the day before scheming and planning and she had a working two pronged plan. She could not leave herself of things could turn fatal for everyone, but she could try to get a get a message out. There were only two nights left before the invasion and- she had learned by playing spy- that the Empress had recalled most of her troops from her cities and had moved them out onto the plains in preparation. This night was the perfect opportunity, perhaps her only opportunity. If she were caught then the Empress would have a hard time ordering her soldiers to kill her subjects when they were elsewhere, that was why she had waited till tonight to make her move.

She changed into her Sheikah outfit and headed for a picture on the far side of her wall. It was a blotchy landscape that had been drawn by one of her more artistic ancestors. The Empress had long since taken her sword and bow but she had a dagger hidden in her room. She slipped her hand behind the painting and withdrew a long slender knife. She took a small scrap of paper, on which she had painstakingly written an urgent note, and put it in her belt.

She looked towards her door. She knew guards were posted outside, but she had no intention of getting out that way. Her room was half way up the western high tower and she knew that her father's old room was directly beneath her own. That was where she wanted to go. She padded softly to her closet and picked out several thick dresses and cloaks. She put on a dark colored one and secured her dagger inside its folds. Then she took the others and began knotting them together to form a rope. When she judged it was long enough, she went to her window and silently opened it. She tied one end to her bedpost and then tossed the other end out her window.

By this time, her heart was pounding and her breathing was heavy due to all the adrenaline in her system. What she was about to attempt next was extraordinarily perilous and perhaps slightly stupid, but it had to be done. She looked suspiciously at the dubious knots of her handmade rope and winced slightly. She had no great love for heights and the ground was head-spinningly far below her, but by contrast, the window ledge to her father's room was not more than fifteen feet down. That was where she was headed.

Setting her jaw and, taking a deep breath, she climbed out of the window and onto the ledge. She suppressed a small whimper as she let go of the supporting trustworthy ledge and latched on to one of her dresses. Clinging much like a leach, she slowly eased herself downwards.

When she had made it about a third of the way down, she thought she could feel her hastily made rope give ever so slightly. Her heart in her mouth she darted her wide terrified eyes upwards to the knot she had just passed. As she watched, she saw the knot give way slightly. The cloth she was hanging from was slipping through its link with the other one, severely compromising its hold. Before she could do anything about it slipped completely free and with a squealed cry of, "Holy Hylia," she felt herself plummeting.

She squeezed her eyes tight shut a scream frozen in her mouth. In her mind she could see herself falling to the cobblestones of the courtyard far below. She gave a surprised grunt as she as she made contact with something solid far sooner than she had expected. Her eyes snapped open and she saw that by some miracle she had landed on the ledge of her father's windowsill. Before she even had time to feel relieved, she felt herself teetering backwards, on the verge of losing her balance. With the speed brought on by reflex, she shot her hands forward and grabbed at the rough stone either side of the window, securing herself.

For a moment she nearly felt she would pass out from panic. She shook the feeling off, took several deep breaths, whispered a silent prayer of thanks that she was still alive, and leaned towards the window.

She took out and unsheathed her dagger and slid it down the joint where the two glass paneled parts of the window met. Her knife caught on the latch and she gently pushed it aside, unlocking the window. She then sheathed her dagger, opened the window, and stepped inside.

She knew there were guards posted outside her own bedroom door but there was no reason they should be posted outside an empty room. Also, she knew the castle as well as she knew her favorite book, which gave her the upper hand.

Right across the hall from her father's old chamber there was a secrete passage that led to the guard room. It had been designed long ago by one of Hyrule's kings in case the castle walls were ever breached and the castle occupants needed to hold a higher position. She headed to the door and cautiously opened it. When she spotted no one in the near vicinity she ran to the wall directly across from her father's old bedroom. The door to the passage was disguised to look like the wall, but she knew where it was. She slipped her finger under a particular brick in the wall and found the latch. She opened the door and glided inside the musty, pitch black passage. She had gone down it many times during her childhood for fun, so she basically knew the way. She trailed her fingers along the wall of the passage so she wouldn't fall as she made her slow spiral downwards, parallel to the main staircase. Without warning the passage made a sharp turn towards the guard room.

She emerged silently in the soldiers' bunkroom. She looked around the room of sleeping men until she caught sight of the soldier she wanted. She crossed the room to where he lay huddled in his blankets. His name was Owen, she recalled, and he was the captain of the watch. He had always been completely loyal and competent, in a word, perfect for the mission she had in mind. She slunk over to his bed and placed a hand over his mouth. He jerked awake and started to reach for the sword he undoubtedly kept by his bed, when his eyes focused on her face and the finger she held over her lips. He looked surprised but nodded and got up quickly and followed her out of the room and into the darkened castle hallway.

"The kingdom is in danger and I need your help."

He looked completely surprised and opened his mouth to speak but she held up a hand.

"I need you to go to Faron woods, find Link, and tell him that I need him…" she paused for a moment as she tried to formulate a sentence. She was about to go on when the soldier interrupted her.

"Link?" he gasped in a horrified question, "But, Your Majesty, you had him banished for treason. He is an enemy of the crown. You have been hunting him down and demanding his death for four months now, why would he help you? And, more importantly, why would you want help from him?"

"That wasn't really me," she muttered, "and honestly I don't know if he will help, but we have to try."

She took one glance at the soldiers puzzled face, as he ran a hand through his salt and pepper hair in a confused gesture, and cursed herself for not being clear to begin with. She gave a nervous glance around, took a breath to calm her nerves and launched into a hurried whispered narrative. It felt so good to finally come clean about the whole thing to another person. When she finished speaking she was gratified to see belief and comprehension on her soldiers face, angry understanding but understanding none the less.

"Both I and many other soldiers have had suspicions that something was off for a while now," he admitted in a whisper, almost as if her were ashamed he had not mentioned it sooner, "Several of us noticed that we hadn't had a turn patrolling the upper levels of the castle, and yet they never seemed to be unguarded. Also concerning Link, the day you had him punished for treason and he almost escaped, you said he was guilty of murdering in cold blood but when we barred his path there was a sword right by his feet. Link is a talented swordsman and he could easily have picked up the sword and murdered his way to freedom, but instead he merely looked at the weapon and surrendered, opting to take his chances with you rather than try to kill us. At the time I didn't relay pay attention to that but lately I couldn't get that out of my mind; it seemed terribly contradictory and illogical. Also whenever one of our patrols do encounter him there are reports of injury but as of yet no soldiers have been killed."

Zelda nodded her understanding.

"Everything makes sense now," Owen mused. "Does Link know that you were being possessed?" He asked as a hopeful afterthought.

Zelda shook her head, "No."

"I was there that day, as I have already mentioned," her soldier said softly with a grimace, "and I am honestly not sure Link will want to hear me out, or you for that matter, but I will try my best milady."

"That's all I can ask for," Zelda said softly. "I want you to get your gear in order and meet me in my courtyard in fifteen minutes," she finished.

Owen nodded then saluted and slipped silently back inside the bunk room.

She set off towards the courtyard, snatching a decorative bow and quiver of arrows from the wall as she went. She knew that every minute that past increased the chances that she would be discovered. She headed silently through the halls to the outdoors, taking the most shadowy routes, and avoiding areas that would take her near the soldiers on watch. She knew that if anyone saw her everything would be compromised. When she reached the courtyard she headed to the far south end where the messenger hawks and hunting hawks were kept.

What she had in mind now was the failsafe to her plan. She put on the hawk keeper's gauntlets and reached for a bird. She tied the small letter she had composed earlier to the bird's leg. This hawk was trained to carry messages to Faron woods. She held it on her wrist. She was about to let it go when she caught sight of a shadowy figure slinking towards her. She tensed up when she saw it, then relaxed when she recognized Owen.

She greeted him quietly then led him to the small side gate that led out of the castles inner wall and towards castle town. She had picked this spot especially for its lack of guards and thick tree cover from the gardens. All would help to shield them from prying eyes.

"It will be easy for you to get out here," she whispered pointing to the gate. "Unfortunately I don't know how to get you past the city's wall without getting noticed."

"My mother has taken ill and I got leave to go to Kakariko village to visit her," Owen replied promptly in his gruff voice, with the barest trace of a smile.

Zelda nodded approvingly, "Once you get going don't stop for anything," she said.

She watched as he stepped out from cover and headed towards the gate, still holding the hawk on her wrist.

"Halt! Who goes there?" The voice of the guard on watch challenged.

"Captain Owen with an urgent mission," came the confident reply.

The guard on watch called his assent and Owen unlatched the gate and headed off into the night.

As she watched him go Zelda whispered softly to the hawk and lifted her arm slightly, giving it the signal to fly off.

It was at the moment that Zelda started to feel and elated sense of victory that everything went wrong. From the tower where her room was situated there came a long eerie drawn out cry. It sounded almost like the wind whistling through a crack in a house during a storm. With terror filing her heart, Zelda realized what it was. It was an alarm call, she could feel it. Her escape from her room had been discovered.

Seconds after her realization the sentry on the wall gave a short cry and tumbled from the wall to the ground below and arrow protruding from his back.

Zelda wheeled around bow at the ready, to see the Empress striding towards her. Her black eyes blazing fury, but by contrast her mouth was curved upwards in a smile. Zelda felt fear clutching at her heart. She knew her plan was falling to shambles and she knew she had only one path left to take. The Empress and her army were like a poisonous snake, putting everyone at risk. But if the head were cut off the snake it could not bite and the body would be useless. Without a moment's hesitation Zelda sighted down the shaft of her arrow and released the tension of the bow.

Her enemy dropped her own bow and stuck out a hand to create a magic shield. Zelda's arrow slammed into it and ricocheted harmlessly off. At the same time Zelda felt a burning sensation in her hands. With a cry of pain she dropped her bow as if it were red hot, and fell to her knees the pain was so intense. Zelda cursed her scream of agony but it was out before she could stop it.

The Empress stalked towards her, murder glittering in her eyes. Suddenly, behind her, there came the sound of a battle cry. Owen had heard Zelda scream and, forgetting his promise not to stop, he had charged back to the courtyard.

He thundered towards the Empress his sword upraised, only to be stopped by the same burning magic. Zelda and Owen knelt side by side in front of their furious enemy.

"You dared to defy me?" she asked her voice icy cold, "You are lucky my soldiers are not in position to kill your precious commoners or so many of them would be dead by now. Or perhaps that was your plan in the first place. Your cleverness, however, will do nothing to stop me from making you pay. I already took the life of one of your soldiers so there would be no witnesses and I am thinking about taking one more. How much does he know?" she asked pointing towards Owen.

"Nothing," Zelda gasped.

"Well it's obvious he knows something now," the Empress hissed with a smile as she transfixed Zelda with her gaze.

Zelda tried to look away but was too late. She felt a cold fist of fear clench her heart as the Empress spoke.

"You told him everything," she laughed reading her mind. "Well then that just makes him the perfect punishment. I told you that if you ever defied me people would die. I just can't afford to have loose ends."

The Empress drew the dagger at the side of her belt and stepped towards Owen.

"Stop please," Zelda pleaded, "I was the one who defied you. He did nothing. If you must punish someone then punish me."

"I am," the Empress said with a wicked smile. "Now Owen, that is your name isn't it? Say thank you to the princess for getting you killed." She drew back her dagger for the killing blow, "How amusing," she chuckled.

Owen let out a small whimper before he straightened himself. "It was my own choice to turn back and my princess cannot be blamed for your actions or mine. This is war and a chance had to be taken. I die not for the amusement of a petty tyrant. I die for my kingdom and my princess and in the knowledge that my sacrifice may one day help in bringing about your downfall."

Zelda was stunned by the man's bravery, a quality, that sadly, many of her soldiers lacked, but not this one. She felt her eyes prick with tears and they streamed unbidden down her face.

The Empress merely rolled her eyes at Owen's speech. "How melodramatic, you just keep telling yourself that."

"No matter what your forked tongue says, you cannot cheapen honor and truth," Zelda snapped defensively.

The Empress frowned and drove forward with her dagger. At the same time Zelda felt her hand thrum with power and she broke free from the debilitating burning magic. She leaped at her enemy knife upraised and the two of them battled, dogging, slashing, and wrestling with each other's knife hand. Fury gave Zelda power and she managed to catch the Empress across the face. Her enemy howled with pain and, with a vicious kick, flung Zelda backwards. As she fell Zelda adjusted her hold on her weapon sighted and threw it at her enemy. The Empress tuned just in time so the dagger hit her arm instead of her heart. Screaming with pain she snarled at Zelda; her momentary distraction broke her magic hold on Owen.

Owen, seeing an opening, rose to his feet and charged the Empress. She parried his sword thrust easily and thrust forward with her knife driving motion. Owen slumped to the ground without a sound.

"No!" Zelda screamed as she fell to her knees. The Empress took the time to incapacitate her with a sparking blast of magic.

"Don't you dare try to defy me ever again," the Empress warned clutching her wounded arm, "It only bring problems," she said gesturing at the fallen wall sentry and Owen.

Zelda felt tears cascading down her cheeks at the sight of her soldiers as she lay helpless.

The Empress called for her guards. She set two of them to the task of escorting Zelda back to her chambers, and set two to the task of taking care of the fallen soldiers and concealing the evidence.

Zelda fell onto her bed with a sob, staring at her burned hands. She clung to the small hope that Owen and the wall sentry's sacrifice had not been in vain and that at least her message had gotten through. That small hope was crushed when the Empress stepped into her room with a smirk and a heavily bandaged arm.

"I was in near the courtyard when the alarm was sounded and I could not help but see a messenger hawk flying. I am quite a crack shot with my bow."

She stepped forward with a smile and unfolded a small piece of paper. "_Dear Link_," she read mockingly "_I want you to know that I am sorry. I never wanted to see you hurt but I could do nothing to prevent it. A great evil has come into these lands and I am powerless to stop it. I am being controlled like a puppet and the kingdom is going to fall unless we can find a way to stop it. If you don't believe me ask the wolf. Right now the enemy is planning to march on you and your outlaws, she intends to start a civil war and we cannot let that happen or Hyrule will be lost_. It has all the dates and numbers of soldiers and it is signed by you and even has your seal on the bottom," the Empress said with a laugh as she destroyed the note. "You even tired a lame attempt a coding it. This wolf sounds interesting, but it hardly matters now, you have just lost. I have taken the liberty to assign some of my personal body guards to watch you at all times from now on."

Zelda could do nothing but fix her enemy with a glare of hatred before her shoulders slumped in defeat; she knew she had been beaten, thoroughly beaten.

"You are going to lead your army to battle in two days and I can already see that this is going to be a problem for you, I don't trust you to do the job properly so I have an idea of making you more of a puppet. The problem is your magic is strong enough to keep me out unless you let me in. So I will give you all night to think about it, but if you refuse rest assured that you will pay dearly for it. There are many other suspicious soldiers and quite a few women and children in this castle."

All Zelda could do was stare miserably at her captor through her tears, the Empress knew as well as she what her answer would be.

**~x~X~x~ **

The following morning, Ashei sat in the outlaw's camp staring intently at Link as he paced back and forth under the forest canopy. His face was slightly scrunched, like it usually was when he was thinking hard about something, or was perturbed or deeply upset.

He had looked like that quite a lot during the week that they were outlaws alone together after he had rescued her from punishment at the hands of the princess and her knights but before the rest of the Resistance joined them. He had been a major mess then though; he had woken her up with his nightmares three times that week. He would toss, turn, shudder and then shoot up, practically screaming for Zelda to stop before he realized it had been a dream. She had never been the comforting type so she never knew what to do or say when that happened. He had mostly been either sad or angry during that week and he had hardly smiled. The only times he had shown a trace of his old humor it at been laced with sardonic bitterness.

She felt a twinge of sympathy for him at the memory of that, but at the same time she knew it was not that which was bothering him now. He had long since gotten over that, he would still get pretty upset on rare occasions, but honestly who didn't. Ashei felt just as angry about their situation and Zelda as she guessed he did. She knew that what was bothering him now was the impending threat of attack.

He had announced his intentions the night before and had come up with a truly desperate yet brilliant plan for their survival. It was dangerous because he would bet everything on one move, but if he were successful he could stop the war before it started and keep all his followers safe. He would have to wait till the day that Zelda invaded to make his move and she knew all this waiting was making him edgy. Honestly, it was making everyone edgy, but it was more than that. For his plan to work he was going to have to come face to face with the princess and Ashei was sure that it was this knowledge that had him wearing a furrow in the dirt with his troubled pacing.

All around her the outlaws bustled about training for a fight and honing their weapons just in case Link's plan did fail. They had even spent some time booby-trapping the area around their camp on Link's orders as another failsafe.

As she watched, Shad approached the perturbed Link and began to engage him in what appeared to be a somewhat heated discussion. What was going on? She wondered. Had Shad merely noticed his pacing and muttering like she had or did he actually know what it was about?

As she stared, she watched them nod at each other, grab several packs from their possessions, and then slink of together into the woods. Intrigued and slightly angry that they had left her out, she pushed herself to her feet and stealthily followed after them. To her surprise, she found they were heading towards the main road of Faron woods, close to where the dense tunnel of the strong ancient tress opened out into the airy warmth of Faron field. The two teens stooped about a mile before the field on the forest's twisting path. They crouched down behind the thick brush near the roadside.

Ashei decided to reveal herself and walked towards them from behind. Shad looked up and nearly started in terror before he realized who she was, but Link without even turning around merely said, "Hey Ashei."

Ashei returned his greeting with a slight frown of disappointment. She almost never was able to sneak up on him. That is why she had taken so much pleasure in it the day they went to go rescue the kid together.

"So, what are you up to?" she asked in a slightly peeved tone of voice, "And exactly why didn't you invite me along?"

"I saw you watching me and knew you would follow," Link replied with a half attempt at a grin.

Ahsei glared at him and rolled her eyes. "I know something has been bothering you, so let me in on it, yeah?

Link gave her a wry smile then spoke, "We know the soldiers are going to invade the woods tomorrow and we know that the Princess's army has already set camp in Faron field to prepare for their attack. However, you know as well as I that they are not just going to blindly invade the woods in the morning. That tactic lacks foresight and borders on stupidity and her Highness had never been known for stupidity."

"Both Link and I were worried that an elite group of soldier might be sent into the woods to gather intel of our whereabouts before the battle," Shad finished.

"And we were right," Link took over, "Shad spied on the camp this very morning and saw the Princess herself assembling such a group. If I am correct they should be headed down this path around twilight, intent on using the cover of darkness to get the information that the princess wants."

"What are we doing here then?" Ashei demanded, "We should tell the others! If we all get together we can stop them!"

"Link and I thought about that," Shad said as he pushed his glasses into place, his face deathly serious, "and there are two reasons why we decided to go it alone. If we assembled a large group of our own warriors to counter them it could be the spark that leads to a full pitched battle. Also, simply sending some of our forces to counter attack would only stall them till they send more troops. Which brings me to the second point, why bother risking the lives of our men when we can defeat them and keep them away for good without shedding a drop of blood on either side?"

Ashei stared critically into Shad's shinning eyes before turning to Link. "You had better have some super genius plan to accomplish this." She said.

"Yes," Link said softly, "I have a way… It's just…" he rubbed the back of his head and sighed.

"Just what?"

"If I act on this plan of mine, it will mean I will have to embody all the things that I want to clear my name of."

"Elaborate, please" Ashei urged impatiently when he trailed off again.

Link took a deep breath and began. "While Shad and I were trapped in that storm a while ago, he was telling me about some illusions that could be produced with chemistry and physics."

Shad nodded, "It was a book in old Hylain that I found in the Hidden Village."

"You two give the worst military briefings I have ever heard. There is something called a point, yeah?"

Link grinned at her, "Patience is a virtue you weren't born with I see."

Ashei glared at him.

With a smirk, Link began to outline his idea. When he finished, he settled his gaze on her as if waiting for a response of some sort.

"I see what you mean about having to become what you wanted to prove to everyone that you weren't," she said finally. "But I think in this case it's worth it. I have serious doubts that the kingdom will ever accept the truth that we didn't commit any form of treason. Besides, this is the princess and the soldiers we are talking about, they will think of you as a bokoblin no matter what you do."

Link frowned, wincing slightly at her words, but he nodded his agreement or resignation. "Well," he said shaking his head, "if I am going to destroy my last shreds of honor I might as well have fun doing it." He finished with a dark smirk. "I might as well become what her Highness wanted; she had left me with nothing else."

"Your plan is good," Ashei said, "but I think we are going to need some fairies and fireflies to add the finishing touch, and I think some bomb arrows will make it more dramatic, yeah?

"Fireflies and fairies?" Link looked puzzled for a moment before his face brightened. "Oh, I see."

"Kindly explain because I don't," Shad said still puzzled

"Eyes," Link told him simply.

"Oh," Shad said with a chuckle, "brilliant."

"Here," Link smiled, tossing Ashei one of the satchels he had been carrying. "We only have a short time to set up. Twilight is in a couple hours."

**~x~X~x~**

Ashei crouched in her hiding spot, camouflaged in the folds of her cloak. She watched as the soldiers uneasily stepped through the tree shadowed forests of twilight. They huddled closely together as if they feared stepping of the path. An unnatural mist swirled around their feet, swallowing up any sight of the ground as it shifted slowly in uneven swarthy patches like foreboding shreds of cloud. The soldiers had no way of knowing that the eerie mist was made from odd crystals Shad had found that reacted when put in water to form the hazy vapor that they stepped through. They shifted nervously as they saw that not only their path was shrouded by the abnormal groping tendrils, but the way to travel further along the road was blocked by a near solid wall of mist.

Ashei admitted that the wavering wall would probably have put even her on edge had she not known that the thick cloud came from Link's smoke bombs.

The soldiers and their obese commander, whom Ashei recognized as Zelda's most ruthless commander Arsacir, came to a dead halt in front of the shifting wall of mist, only to step back in simultaneous shock as a dark figure seemed to materialize out of the wavering cloud. Ashei could not contain the shudder that ran down her spin as she saw Link standing there. He seemed to be embraced by the darkened mist around him, as if he were a part of the twilight itself. The hood of his cloak failed to hide the dark smile on his face. Gone was the hero of twilight, her friend, and in his place was the symbol of all his supposed crime and treachery.

"Sir Knight," he greeted Arscair in a sarcastically cordial manner, "to meet you twice in a week far from coincidence."

The ten soldiers in Arscair's retinue shuffled fearfully at the sight of Link, their hands tightening on their weapons.

"You," the fat knight growled, "I am going to insure that both you and the people of your precious resistance and rebel army pay for the insult you give our kingdom with your presence. And I will make you pay dearly for the insults you've have given me personally."

Link's smile faded immediately, "So, you would rather I had killed you than given you the mercy to let you live? I do not appreciate the lack of gratitude, sir." Link's tone was soft and dangerous and the effect was to make the ten soldiers slink back slightly.

"I don't care anything for what you feel, I will insure that you die upon my blade. Men look," he said tuning to his cowering soldiers, "he is but one. Not even the former hero of twilight is invincible. What are you afraid of men? He has no bow wielding outlaws at his back this night, we can take him."

His soldiers seemed to bit a little encouraged by his words and began to step cautiously after their leader as he edged nearer to Link with his sword drawn.

"One? Your lack of foresight has just sealed your fate;" Link snarled. "Have you forgotten who I am? My name is Link; I am slayer of the warlord Ganondorf, rebel against the corrupt rule of Hyrule. I am the leader of the Resistance and countless outlaws, and," he said slowly raising his hand, "commander of the dark army."

As he spoke, Ashei recognized her queue and brought up Links sturdy powerful re-curve bow that she had borrowed. She prepared a bomb arrow. As he clenched his raised fist, she shot the bomb arrow to land a safe distance behind him. The effect was a deafening boom and flash of light seeming at his command. His smoke bombs had started to dissipate from a solid wall of fog to groping fingers of fog, so when the soldiers' eyes readjusted from the shock of the bomb they saw clearly what stood behind Link. Ashei could hardly contain the shiver that coursed through her at the sight of the apparitions that seemed to be at Links command. An army of cloaked warriors stood behind him; they shifted with the shadows of the night and the mist and all their eyes glowed with an otherworldly light that wavered only when they blinked. Link took a step forward and the dark army seemed to glide in his wake. There came the sound of countless swords being drawn.

All the soldiers cried out in simultaneous terror and ran. They had been prepared to fight a lone warrior but not a warrior who commanded a vast magical army.

When Arscair saw he was alone he had no choice but to back away.

"This forest is mine!" Link yelled after him, "Return and death will find you swiftly. I have long since tired of toying with you."

For added drama Ashei launched another bomb arrow as Link pointed at Arscair. It landed close enough to knock him to the ground and break his last shreds of courage but far enough away so as not to actually wound him. Arscair got to his feet in a hurry and scurried down the darkened path, nearly whimpering in terror.

As soon as the soldiers were gone the three teens let out there pent up sniggers.

"Can you believe how gullible and stupid they are?" Ashei chuckled.

Link shot her a wry smile, "Oh, I am more than acquainted with that aspect of Hyrule's people. But really, a bomb Ashei? You nearly hit him." Link said with a chuckle as he turned to start disabling the poles that held up each cloaked member of his false, crudely made scarecrow army. Without the mist one could clearly see their true design even in the dark. "Your sense for dramatic flair is starting to worry me."

"I think it was an excellent touch," Shad put in from his position in the ground behind Link. He tried to untangle himself from the numerous strands of thin rope from which he had controlled the pots, pans, pieces of metal, and rusty knifes that had provided the sword drawing sound effects, and the moving shadow warriors. They were merely more outlaw cloaks hanging from rope runners.

Ahsei smiled and began to neatly fold all the cloaks they had used. Shad released the fireflies they had used as the glowing eyes, and Link released and thanked the fairies he had borrowed from Ordon spring, which had also served the same purpose. The great fairy had released many of her fairies to the springs of Hyrule when he had made it through the Cave of Ordeals, which he jokingly called the Cave of Oppression. Fairies were slightly temperamental and one never knew when they would appear, and he was more than thankful that a few had appeared this night. Pity they had not shown up at Ordon spring that dark night not too long ago when he had really needed them.

When they were finished clearing up, the trio headed back along the moonlit path to the outlaws' camp. Shad was grinning happily and Ashei chanced a sidelong look at Link to see his expression. His smirk was gone and his face was once again slightly scrunched in that perturbed look of his.

"Are you worried you made the wrong choice?" She asked softly.

"I would do it again in a heartbeat," he said, shaking his head, "it's just sometimes I almost feel like… I don't know…I am losing sight of who, or rather, what, I am."

"Well at least you have an amazing dark army to compensate for your troubles." She teased.

Link's face broke into a broad smile. He looked critically at his two followers and shook his head, "You have to admit that it is a pretty sad looking army up close."

"True; but we're the only army you have, so deal with it, yeah?" Ashei said with a laugh.

"The three of us shall devastate any opposition we are faced with. Your dark army may be small but their brains are large-"

"Metaphorically speaking," Link interrupted Shad with a chuckle.

"Do you want to lose your army?" Ahsei asked in a teasingly threatening manner, "Because if I hear one more degrading comment from you, I'm deserting."

* * *

**Thanks for reading, don't forget to review :) (Cause it makes me happy and you don't want an upset author writing near the climax when so many things can go tantalizingly wrong *mwha ha ha ha* XD )**

**Before anyone get to terribly upset that Zelda's brilliant plan failed let me assure you it was necessary for that to happen in order for me to create the dramatic climax that I want. A slight warning, things are going to get worse before/if they get better. **

****Time for another History Geek's moment :D** So for the last part of the chapter, dealing with Link, Ashei, and Shad, I was inspired by the World War II Ghost Army. For those who don't know, it was a United States ****tactical deception unit. It was a 1,100-man unit tasked with impersonating other U.S. Army units to deceive, mislead, and scare the enemy. Ghost soldiers used their brains and talent to create elaborate rouses and illusions. Many of the ghost soldiers had been artists, architects, actors, set designers and engineers. They used equipment such as dummy tanks and artillery, fake aircraft and giant speakers broadcasting the sounds of men and artillery to make the Germans think they were about to be attacked by an upward of a two-division 30,000 man force. Their efforts helped deflect the German military from the actual allied combat units. (Not to mention the fact that they were totally awesome)**

**QUSTION: **

**What elements/themes would you like to see in the next Zelda game?**

**Personally, even though I know it's not likely, I would like to see a game where the three bearers of the triforce are on the same side for once, facing a huge enemy like Demise. It would be totally epic. I mean, I know that power can easily corrupt, but if the person imbued with power was already blessed with some wisdom and for some strange reason lacked an overpowering desire to dominate, then maybe it could work out. Nayru and Farore are always making good choices of who to pick so why couldn't Din do it right for once? It would also be cool to be able to play as Zelda or have a woman be the hero, but that's just me. :P **

**OPTIONAL BONUS QUESTION: **

**How do you think Link is going to react when he finally meets with Zelda face to face? **

**Until next time, I wish you all a blessed week. :) **


	22. Battle Lines

**A/N:** Hey guys! I hope you are feeling awesome! Happy Fourth of July! I apologize for my late posting, (it's my sister's birthday today! So I had to get her some presents yesterday and was busy wrapping them then we went and go fireworks) So, this chapter is finally the chapter when Link and Zelda meet face to face and I hope all your expectations are met. I had fun writing it so I hope you all enjoy it!

**MiniJen-** thanks for the compliment! Now that I look at it I think your right about Link XD You need wait no longer; intense or rather tense is probably a good way to describe how it's going to be. I would absolutely love some more historical links; I just love the satisfying feeling of finding out how things connect to one another. :)

**Yami no Nokutan-** Thank you! I know what you mean about wishing for the weekend or rather days off. I hate feeling worn out and tired. I hope your Fridays are awesome enough to compensate for your tiring weeks. My comments have also gotten cut off It is super annoying }:( Yes, you may definitely kill Arsacir he is a massive buttmunchy. He was a low ranking soldier of Zelda's but the Empress liked him and had him promoted. They share a certain kindred spirit. Whether or not Link hears Zelda out, you shall have to read for yourself *evil chortle* )

**ArianandXaia-** Thanks :D and thank you for catching that I did not realize I failed to capitalize his title until you mentioned it, *puppy eyes* my bad. Yeah that would be nice to see that in the next game. And for you other answer you may be right on all your guesses. Cool! Nice you can do your favorite style. I need a haircut myself because at the moment it is rather unmanageable and crazy and when its humid I nearly get a blond afro XP as for your question I can't decide between these two; either the power to control the elements (like bending) or the power to heal.

**Whisty-** thank you:) those guards are behaving pretty cowardly XD I felt bad about killing Owen but I kinda had to do it ;_;

**AssassinKitsune-** D'aaaawwww shucks *blushes* I think your awesome too.

**Gojira Geek-** I agree! :D

**AnimeMaster24-** no worries! I wasn't insulted :) I am not adverse to constructive criticism, it's impossible to grow without it. I'm glad you liked this one better. I hope I do too XD Me too! I am rather of the same mind, I love the saying, "If you don't have what you need, use what you have and make it what you need," which is basically the same. As for answer 1, yeah I know it's pretty much impossible but one can dream XP as for answer 2, you're probably right.

**Scarlet Curls-** yeah that would be pretty cool! Gerudo desert seems to be based off the Middle East and Kakariko reminds me of the painted deserts of the southwest in America. I would love to see that or something reminiscent of the Great Barrier Reef or perhaps the pine forest mountains like the Rockies. Yeah it would but it would still be awesome! You shall find out soon how they feel about each other and see each other. Wow! That would be a highly devious twist if I were to do that, one of those awesome ones that you never guess until it gets you (I love those). The only problem is that it seems a bit out of character for Link. He does not quite strike me as the power hungry type, and I don't know what else he would really gain from it –unless he is double bluffing like going under cover (which is more believable). For him to do it, he would need a big gain to compensate for how not fun the experience was for him, maybe if he was bribed with Midna's return or her life or something greater perhaps. That would make a cool tale! Thanks so much for the review!

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony-** Zelda is in a mess, I love your metaphor. I totally love all your ideas they are totally cool! I for one would love to see them. Thank you so much for the review :D I'd like to read the story sounds awesome.

**Generala-** I kind of frustrated myself writing that. Poor Zelda ;_; Thanks for the review :D I would like to see something new in the next game too. I'd love for Zelda to be a playable character, I don't know if I want her to be the main protagonist though either.

**Battle Lines **

Zelda stood in her light armor and reluctantly reached a hand out to open the flaps of her tent. She stepped out into the warm light of early morning and the welcoming earthy grassy smell of the fields, and she shivered. Despite the warmth of the world around her it seemed as if her body was trapped in ice. She could not help shuddering as she looked around at the milling warriors who busied themselves preparing for battle all around her, before ducking back inside. Today was the day she would be forced to order an attack on her own people; it was perhaps that knowledge that chilled her to her bones.

Her army had set up camp near the border of Faron Woods and Faron Field. Her heartbeat quickened within her chest. Her thoughts flashed towards Link. Even though she hated to admit it, she was afraid of what he thought of her, and she was afraid of what she had been forced to become.

She had felt uneasy ever since her elite scouting troops came running out of the forest the night before, white faced and screaming, saying that Link had met them on the road backed by a magical wraith army of thousands and had defeated them with dark magic. The Empress had made her calm her soldiers down and try to convince them that Link never had any great magic wielding capabilities and tell them that what they saw had either been a trick or a figure of their own imaginings. Even still, her soldiers were nervous about entering the woods, muttering among themselves about dark powers, but the Empress would not be stopped now. Even though they would be entering the woods blind the Empress would not let her call off the attack. Her thoughts flicked nervously to back to Link. Every day that went by the reports she got about him were making him sound as if he was exactly what the propaganda and lies, she had first been forced to spread about him, assured he was. She wondered about it; surly they were just exaggerations, surly Link wouldn't actually…. She shook her mind free of those thoughts. Here she was about to order an attack on him and she was fretting over details. She knew that there was much more at stake than this, but she could not succeed in getting the niggling doubt out of her mind. What if he had changed?

She had watched her soldiers prepare themselves for battle and her heart had been filled with dread. She turned to ready her own war gear, but every preparation she made was the equivalent of driving a knife into her body. She stepped out of her tent and faced the dark foreboding wall of trees ahead of her. She could not let this continue, she wanted to shout for her troops to stop, but the Empress had full control over her entire body and she knew that if she tried she would be stopped.

The Empress was about to force her to order a charge when she became aware of slight movement at the edge of the trees. No one was as surprised as Zelda was when she saw Link stepped out alone from the woods to face the army.

He was almost exactly like she remembered him right down to the colors he wore. He was not the tallest or the most muscular, yet he seemed to be. Perhaps it was because he carried a certain air of fearlessness, standing there along the fringe of the woodlands as if he planned to stop them all single handedly. Although, she was sure his army of rebels was standing ready, just out of sight.

The only difference about him was his facial expression. She could not place exactly what it was but something was different about his features. He directed his gaze towards her, but did not meet her eyes. It was as if he were loathed to look at her. His expression was dark. His sword was sheathed and his shield was slung over his back. His hand was raised in the Hyrulian gesture that stood for the request of a truce as if he intended to try diplomacy before violence. She hoped he had a genius plan up his sleeve because she could do nothing herself.

"Link," she said softly, blurting out his name in the way she used to, before she could stop herself. Strangely, her blunder was able to pass her lips for the Empress had been to surprise by this new turn to stop her in time. She instantly felt the Empress re-exert her magic hold over her.

~x~X~x~

Link looked up and met her eyes at the sound of her voice, confused. Why had she called him like that? He looked her up and down. She looked tired and care worn. He felt his entire body hit with a shuddering sense that something was terribly wrong, something was off. He tried to focus on it but it was gone as soon as it came.

Zelda gave a shiver then regained her composure, "Link," she said again. This time, her voice sounded exactly as he had imagined it would, cold and malevolent. She straightened up standing confident and proud. "What business does Hyrule's traitor have with us? Have you come to solicit more bloodshed and murder?"

Of course he had felt that something was wrong, everything was wrong about this, everything was wrong about her, everything was wrong with Hyrule. His body tensed as his memory was hit with the vivid imagery of the day four and a half months ago. The memory of all the pain, mental, emotional, and physical, swept through his body and all his anger returned. He would have been angry if it had just been him, but the fact that his friends and family had been hurt as well made him livid. The small tug of hatred in the corner of his heart seemed to swell and spread. She had been toying with him again, the look on her face said as much. She was frowning at him arrogantly as if he were the most disgusting painful worthless creature she had ever seen. He felt a quiver of fury run through his body.

"What do you want, traitor?" she asked again.

When he saw that he had everyone's full attention he spoke, the clam tone he used belying his true feelings. He could not let her know that he had such a weakness. Everything depended upon him looking nonchalant, calm and confident.

"As the leader of the outlaws I demand the right to parley in order to circumvent any unnecessary bloodshed between us."

~x~X~x~

His voice was clipped and businesslike, completely lacking in any tone of friendship or caring. Zelda's heart sank as the small hope that he could have, perhaps, still had a slight measure of care for her was crushed to pieces.

The Empress seemed intrigued at his boldness and allowed Zelda to accept his offer, forcing her to speak.

"Your petty insurgence poses little threat to me and my army. As you can see my fighting force far outnumbers yours, however, in the interest of safeguarding the lives of my own soldiers I am willing to hear your terms. Meet me and my commanders in my tent in an hour and we shall parley."

"If it is all the same to you, your majesty, I would speak here and now to avoid the past repeating itself in your favor. With all respect, I am loathed to receive another poisoned olive branch. What I have to say is fit for all ears to hear."

~x~X~x~

It was obvious that he had lost all his trust in her. It was probably good that he was wary for Zelda had no idea of the Empress' intentions and would not trust her enemy's flag of truce herself. Something, however, gave her heart a small measure of comfort, he still considered her his ruler, and he still spoke to her with courtesy, even though his tone carried with it an acerbic undercurrent. Who was she kidding; it was obvious he hated her. She felt tears prickling her eyes, but was forced to hold them back.

"You dishonor me by mocking my gesture of good faith?" she asked speaking the words the Empress put in her mind, "are you so mistrusting that you are unable to make an attempt at chivalry? You mock our country's integrity, but alas, what else could be expected from a traitor? No doubt you assume that we would treat you in the same manner in which you yourself would handle a matter of this nature."

Link narrowed his eyes and she saw his sword hand clench. His face was placid but when he spoke his voice betrayed his emotions. His tone was low and dangerous. She noticed that a slight rural highland burr had snuck almost imperceptibly into his speech. It was only when he was beyond enraged that his accent reverted vaguely to that of the outlying provinces. She knew she was being forced to play with fire.

"You can twist my words as you will, but I assure you I speak from experience not speculation. It was not my intent to mock, however…," his voice lowered still further so it was barely above a whisper and for the first time he looked directly in her eyes, "a guilty heart protests in an attempt to hide the truth."

Zelda tried to cut her gaze to the side, she could not bring herself to make eyes contact after what he had just said. The Empress however, didn't care about her feelings and her hold wouldn't allow her even that small escape from her guilt. Zelda could understand why he was behaving so contemptibly, but it wasn't helping to ease the tension of the situation. 'I am so sorry for what happened,' she thought at him, aloud she said, "Well then, speak. What are your terms?"

"This is really between you and me. In order to prevent senseless bloodshed I challenge you as Hyrule's leader to face me in one on one combat, or," he added noting her expression, "or chose yourself a champion."

"Winner takes all?" she asked darkly.

He nodded.

Zelda felt her skin grow cold and a she found she could hardly breathe the grief that she was force to hold in was so great. Not only did he hate her but he wanted to kill her and depose her and take the throne for himself. That wasn't the Link that she knew. She could hardly bring herself to believe what she was hearing, she couldn't believe it. She stared blankly at him wishing that her tears could fall to give some relive of the swelling pain inside her body mind and heart.

The Empress' invisible presence, which was constantly hanging around behind her, quivered with excitement. Thinking that her ends would soon be met she forced Zelda to agree to the terms.

"I will face you myself," she was forced to say angrily. "It is about time I brought an end to what I could not finish before, your lawless treachery is finished." She turned to her soldiers, "Stand aside and let him pass."

At her command the soldiers moved aside and she backed further out into the field followed by Link. The army of outlaws stepped out of the safety of the woods and stood at attention like the soldiers to watch the fight. Both of the armies stood on the sidelines of the eminent battlefield, standing ready should any mischance happen. The beauty of what should have been a peaceful summer afternoon was marred by the impending fight.

Zelda and Link stood in the middle of Faron field circling each other. Part of Zelda was glad that he had found a way to stop an all-out war. The other part of her seethed with misery, she did not want to fight him. She glanced at his face; the sparkle that used to come into his eye every time they saw each other was now replaced with a cold calculating stare. That look hurt her more than blow would. To him, she was nothing more than an enemy he was sizing up.

She wanted to see him smile at her. She wanted not to be his enemy. She wanted to tell him the truth. She wanted him not to hate her. But wishing for the impossible was useless and she knew it.

"Well _hero,_ are we just going to stand here all day or are you going to show us why you think a traitor peasant _deserves_ to be a king. That is what this is all about isn't it? This is what you always wanted?" Zelda was forced to say.

His body shuddered and tensed and his circling slowed. For a fleeting moment his facial expression shifted. His eyes narrowed and he cocked his head. It was almost as if he were trying to see through her. It was almost like the way a dog or cat might try to sense a person's intention, but it was gone almost as soon as she realized it was there. The irate expression came back almost instantly.

'What was that?' Zelda wondered, but she had no time for pondering. The Empress had grown tired of their circling and ordered Zelda to charge. The Empress was practically forcing her to charge with her magic hold, if Zelda refused to follow an order, her enemy would use her like a marionette.

The distance between them decreased rapidly. Zelda raised her sword for a killing thrust, a scream of despair frozen inside her throat. The brief calm before the storm ended and their sword blades clashed. The battle between them started out at a fast pace, both of them using their swords in a quick succession of parries, slashes and lunges. He was a master with his sword and shield and his defense was almost impenetrable. It was because of this that the Empress forced her to play some dirty tricks during the fight, such as throwing sand, abusing magic, and completely disregarding the warrior's code of honor. This pained Zelda because she did not want to see him hurt again. In her opinion defense was one thing but cheating was quite another. Unfortunately, she could do nothing about it, her body was no longer her own.

He dodged her first sand throwing attempt but was not so lucky the second time. The second time by combining her throw with an underhanded magic attack she caught him unaware and was able to knock away his shield and temporarily blind him in two rapid motions.

With a cry he back-flipped away from her before dancing nimbly backwards several more steps to increase the distance between them, wanting to get as far away from her as he could while his sight was impaired.

He stopped about twenty feet away from her, trying to blink the sand out. He stood facing her although it was obvious he could not see her. She hesitated for a moment, wanting to wait for him to clear his eyes out of fairness but the Empress forced her to attack. Honour obviously meant nothing to her enemy. It was her style to exploit any and every weakness.

She charged towards Link at a rapid pace. At first she was terrified for his life but then she looked closely at him. He stood completely still; he was listening, and almost sniffing the air as if he were a wild creature. She knew he had a heightened sense of hearing, but she still found it amazing that he could track every movement of her charge over the grassy field using his ears alone. As soon as she was a swords distance away from him he leaped neatly to the side while the force of her lunge carried her passed him. When she turned again to face him she saw that his vision was almost clear.

The Empress made her try to exploit the advantage one last time before it left and she charged again. He was ready for her and their blades met in a sword grind. Unfortunately his lack of sight gave her the advantage in this move and it was obvious that he knew this. She slithered her sword up his blade to disentangle it, which could almost be fatal to him in his blinded state.

Before she could exploit her advantage to the fullest he punched her square in the jaw with his free hand. She cried out and reeled back, shocked by the force of his blow. Her vision blackened for a fraction of a second. She tasted blood in her mouth and felt some trickle down her lip. While she was still staggering backwards, he pulled of an incredibly fast and extremely complex sword maneuver and her rapier was knocked from her grasp. To her terror, she found herself kneeling on the ground in front of him. He stood over her, poised for the final strike. His face was almost expressionless except for his eyes. They seemed to blaze with a fiery anger. The two armies, scarcely daring to breathe, watched on in suspense.

"I knew you only wanted the throne," Zelda was forced to say through her numbed jaw in a sneering tone; "your lust for power blinds you to your greed."

Link's sword arm trembled but instead of delivering the death blow, like everyone expected, he lowered his blade. Zelda stared at him, eyes widening with horror as he raised his clenched fist to strike. 'He was going to even the score before he killed her,' she thought miserably.

She stared at him in disbelief, even if he wanted revenge he wouldn't strike an unarmed woman, his ruler, the person he once swore an oath to protect, would he? Although, technically speaking she was no longer his princess, he was a rebel ruled over by no one but himself. Even so, he would not have lost his code of honour, would he have? He was just so angry, that she worried he might have. The knowledge that she had tried to discount and ignore was true; he had changed. He was no longer the Link she used to know. Her hero her friend, her warrior was gone. It was not as if this turn of events were unfounded and unexpected; After all, he thought she betrayed him and tried to have him killed. She had been forced to allow him to be branded a traitor and savagely beaten for a crime he was innocent of. She had allowed everything he held dear to be taken from him, and in her role as puppet she had threatened the lives of his closest friends. She had allowed him to be pushed so low. In that moment she knew she had been a fool to have thought that he would have stayed the same.

Resigned, she closed her eyes and readied herself for the blows that were sure to come. It was partially her fault that he had been hurt and she almost felt like she deserved to be struck. A few moments passed and no blow fell. She opened her eyes. He lowered his trembling fist slowly, as if it took a great amount of will power to do so, picked up her fallen sword, turned his back on her, and started to walk away.

"I never wanted your throne, and as for the desire for power, once you let it go to your head it corrupts even the wisest. I have no desire to fall," he said quietly but angrily as he strode away amidst gasps from the armies. "You keep your life and your kingdom but give us our freedom and leave us in peace."

Zelda smiled inwardly, she admired his strength. Even after all he thought she had done to him he had not taken revenge, he did not want her throne, he did not want her life. A tiny sprout of hope began to grow inside her. Zelda's joy however, was short lived. She felt the Empress quake with rage behind her. Obviously this had not been part of her plan.

Zelda was forced to speak again, "You coward," she called out after him. "Are you too scared to take a life? You are a worm undeserving of the mercy I showed you."

To her surprise Link started to laugh, it was an odd sound for the laugh was harsh and completely joyless. It was more like a scoff, a mocking laugh.

"You left me to die. You don't understand the meaning of mercy."

It hurt Zelda to hear his voice so odd and strained. His normally warm and kind voice had become cold and scornful, almost dripping with malice. She half expected him to turn around and finish her, but he kept on walking.

He did, however, give one glance backwards and several emotions flashed across his face so fast she could not read them before it finally settled. It was not anger that she saw in him but another emotion. He gave her a pain filled look that could almost be considered one of pity or regret. Then it happened again, that same fleeting sensing expression. She recognized it this time. It was the look he gave when he suddenly felt something was wrong. Her heart gave a small leap of joy perhaps he had- but once again, the expression was gone as suddenly as it had come. He blinked and then turned back around to stalk away.

Zelda could feel the Empress shaking with barely controlled anger. This made Zelda furious for she realized that the Empress wanted Link to kill her, she was baiting him. Then, suddenly, her enemy quieted and Zelda could almost feel her foe's cold evil joy, she had figured out what to say.

"You can walk away, but don't think anything will change. Power belongs with those deserved to hold it, not worthless gutter sweepings. Forget all those stupid dreams of the past, Link. Power in the hands of things like you causes rebellion. I have learned that this is the way a kingdom should be run. The weak deserve nothing more than to kneel before the strong. My actions were always justified."

She saw Link tense and his free hand clench fractionally, but he did not stop, he did not turn, and he said nothing.

"Oh, Link," Zelda was made to say in the tone of someone who has just remembered something, "before you skulk away like the coward you are, I want to know something. Tell me, did it hurt? When you lost your honour? When you lost your name and your _heroic_ deeds lost their account and merit? Or," she paused to let out a soft laugh, "how about when I had you beaten? Did that hurt, _hero_? I am beginning to believe that it did not hurt far enough because you haven't seemed to have learned anything. Maybe I should have beaten you harder; perhaps I should have used a whip. Maybe then you would have realized what a pathetic worm you are and skulked away to where you belong in the grime, because that is all you'll ever be worth. You coward, how could you have dared to challenge me? I don't want to see you free; I want to see you dead. I want to stomp your heart into the dirt that it came from, I want your traitorous blood spilled out before my feet."

Link halted in tracks. He stiffened as if someone had hit him and turned around slowly. His face was twisted in a snarl of livid rage. She could see the track left on his face where a hot angry tear had fallen. He raised his sword and stalked towards her kneeling form. His eyes shone with a wild ferocity and they seemed to grow darker as he drew nearer. All of the fiery anger in them was directed straight at her.

The Empress forced Zelda to say speak again, "If it is the last thing I do I will catch you again and on that day all of Hyrule will hear your screams. I won't rest until every outlaw suffers the same fate and perhaps your friends and the people you consider you family as well. Anyone who is not loyal to me deserves only death."

Zelda felt so low and disgusting saying things like that, she wanted to cry. She could tell she hurt him with every vile word. She was reopening wounds and rubbing salt into them. She looked into his eyes only to find that they glittered with bloodlust.

It was in that desperate moment that she became aware of a crucial fact. She realized that the Empress had positioned herself behind her and could not see her face. She had a desperate idea. As she spoke the vile insults she desperately tried to free her face from the Empress's hold. She fought frantically but for all her efforts she only freed herself from the eyes up, but that was enough. She concentrated hard on her facial expression. She met his hate filled stare, feeling the desire to run from his feral eyes intensity. With every last ounce of her strength she tried to make her own eyes tell him the truth, but he seemed not to notice her silent plea.

'Come on Link, please, you know me and this isn't me. Please, please, please realize it isn't me,' she silently begged him.

He stopped in front of her a picture of unmasked fury and rage, his mouth open in an angry battle cry. He raised his sword above his head. A scream was frozen deep inside her as the glittering icy tip of his blade came slashing down towards her with terrifying speed. She closed her eyes and waited for the end, feeling the scream well up inside her as the hard cold steel made contact with her body.

**I know I know super rude cliffhanger, but I couldn't help myself. Leave a review and tell me what you think! I love feedback. Thank you so much for reading! I hope I have created a satisfying start to the climax for you all :D **

**Question: **

**Do you believe that Link Zelda or Ganon would have significantly different personalities if they did not bare pieces of the Triforce?**


	23. To Turn the Tables

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Please accept my humblest apologies for my evilness last week and also in advance for the rather shortness of this chapter. It was originally much, much longer but it was because of that that I decided to break it up. Thanks so much for all the support and awesome reviews you gave me, it makes me sooo happy! I am also sorry that this chapter does not have very much fighting or epic-battle-nes and hope you don't find it too wearisome, but I promise I will have lots of it next week :D I hope you all enjoy!

**MiniJen-** awwww Thanks. I did try my best!

**Yami no Nokutan-** IT'S WEDNESDAY! You have to wait no longer. Yeah, Link did not like that very much, you shall just have to wait and see what he did.

**ScarlettAlexandra-** *clears throat and does best impersonation of a Gollum/Smeagol voice* You will see, oh yes, you will see XD

**Scarlet Curls-** yeah it does make sense if say aloud XP I love your pairing name, it's hilarious. I hope your guesses prove accurate. I always feel so proud of myself when I guess a twist or predict something right in a story.

**Generala-** oh yes, yes, yes, XD Don't worry they may (or may not) get a chance to speak more in detail I did not make the mental battle so huge because there may (or may not) be more of it in this chapter and I didn't want to make anything too tedious or redundant.

**Gojira Geek**- I agree.

**Anarion Star-Dragon-** Thanks! And it's on its way :)

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony-** *eyes bulge with pleasure as I reach out my hands and drool* Yeah Giant cookie! I have always wanted a giant cookie :D I'm glad I got a cookie the side of Ganon rather than say, a fairy or a minish. I'm glad you liked it. I often pace my room like that XP

**ArianandXaia-** I can't tell you that but I'm sure you will find out if you read :) you had better pray for Link's sake that he didn't , because he would be devastated inside if he did and even more so if he found out the Empress was actually behind it all. Thanks! I liked your choices too!

**AnimeMaster24-** Thank you, I do try XP

**AssassinKitsune-** I don't know for dramatic effect? For good flow? Because I can? XP thanks for the review I hope this chapter will help make amends. :) yeah I know this Zelda has been possessed before an so does Link (this time though, the signs are not so obvious) and we all know how Link is super unobservant, heartless, acts on vengeful impulses, and loves to destroy helpless weaponless women. XP you shall see what happens.

**Whisty-** I updated, please don't come after me, O.O I'm just a poor honest innocent bystander. You mess with the bull you get the horns, or maybe, you mess with the wolf you get the fangs? Ha ha, I just did that to the other day. I was discussing the books of the _Inheritance Cycle_ and I accidentally called Brom, Chrom :P I love Fire Emblem games and awakening is no exception, it was completely awesome. Owain is such a dork XP Perhaps I should have made Owen speak more Shakespearian-ish just to make it even more confusing for you JK. Thanks for the review.

**That IS a rude cliffhanger**- yeah it was, wasn't it, sorry about that. I'll try not to do anything drastic with myself till I'm done so that way you won't be hanging from a cliff forever. I hate it when that happens, it's so gosh darn inconsiderate and annoying XP Thank you!

**CuriosityCat-** You may now call me the dark lord Areia Cananaid (more like dark lord nerd/pathetic/twig) *sniggers and try's to laugh evilly and chokes myself in the process* thank you so much for the compliment!

**April Rose-** thanks! I try my best to think of interesting ones or ones that have me curious as to others opinions or that I have a bit of a quandary with myself :)

**xXx skytale xXx-** I know, I know, and I did apologize :P thanks for the review! :D

* * *

**To Turn the Tables **

The Empress's laughter rang loud, cold and triumphant in Zelda's mind as the point of Link's sword began to jab painfully into the soft flesh above her heart. That cruel laughter, she did not want to—she could not let herself- die to the sound of that laughter. She couldn't let that hard sound and her former friend's hate-filled eyes to be the last things she ever heard and saw.

Suddenly, the sound of gleeful susurrations ended in a horrified gasp and then a pained scream as Link's sword suddenly flicked up her body and over her shoulder so fast and light that it did not so much as scratch her skin and she did not even realize what had happened until the scream sounded in her mind. Surprised, Zelda opened her tight shut eyes and looked up to see that Link had not stabbed at her, but above and behind her. She gazed up into Link's face to see a wild feral look etched upon it, almost as if he weren't completely Hylain. All of his pain and anger was directed at apparently empty space, as if he were staring at something that nobody else could see. The two Hyrule army's mutterings of confusion soon melded into horrified gasps of surprise as the scream in Zelda's mind became audible and the air behind Zelda shimmered and wavered to reveal the slowly appearing figure of the Empress. Link had figured it out.

The Empress became completely visible, like the festering root of a sore, and Link withdrew his sword from where he had grazed her side. His sword would have pierced her through her middle had she not seen the slight sudden sword flick. As it was, it had been too fast for her to completely move out of the way. She stood shocked for a moment blood dripping down from her wound, and then her cold smile began.

"Why you clever boy," she jeered, "it appears that I should have killed you when I had the chance, both of you. Oh well," she sighed, "I suppose there is no time better than the present."

Without so much as a word Link pulled Zelda to her feet and stood in front of her, protecting her. Zelda could have kissed him she was so happy, and then she blushed at the thought. She did not know how he figured it out but she was so glad he did. Unfortunately, his sudden understanding did nothing to stop the fact that, despite her pain, the Empress had not lost control over her.

Zelda felt her body shudder with dread as she felt the Empress begin to force her closer towards Link with the intent that she should still be the instrument of his death. Zelda felt the Empress raise her arms like claws, so she could strangle him now, when he least expected it. She felt her body moving of its own accord closer and closer to Links back.

He was not oblivious to her motion; she saw his head incline towards the sound of her movement he turned and gave her a warning, wary glare for a second and then turned back to the Empress. He knew she was coming at him and he yet he didn't move, did he really trust her not to turn on him or was he just giving her the benefit of the doubt? Either way he would be doomed if she could not stop herself. She would not be the one to kill him, she could not bring herself to hurt him again.

He tuned to her again, his deep blue orbs soft almost pleading, his handsome fine featured face showing concern, "Zelda?"

Just that one word spoken in kindness seemed to renew he strength. She fought with everything she had, trying hard to get the Empress out of her mind. She had her eyes still free and she used that small hold to her fullest extent. She could not let him die. Her head felt as if would burst with the pain from her battle of wills, and then she felt relief as she was finally freed

"Sword, Link, sword," she gasped through her pain hoping she would understand.

He stared at her for a moment then stepped back so they were side to side and held his sword arm out to her. With a yelp of pain, she managed to close her hand around the hilt of the master sword, her fingers brushing against his own.

She could feel the power of the master hold breaking the grip of the dark magic, and she saw her hand and Link's hand glow simultaneously where their marks of the Triforce were. Instantly she felt her enemy's hold over her snap. She shuddered as she felt the Empress try to re-exert her magic grip but the truth was out. The Empress had lost her blackmailing power and Zelda had no intention of letting her back in ever. Her hand thrummed reassuringly with power and the Empress cursed.

Both the outlaws and the Hyrule army started to mutter and shout angrily once they realized that they had been played for fools. All the dissention and hatred that they had experienced had been founded on lies and now they could see it. The light of battle was in their eyes, they all wanted to bring down the person who was responsible for the near destruction of their kingdom.

The Empress screamed a weird sort of call and the distance tiny figures became visible marching in formation over a distant hill. She laughed wickedly as she vanished before their eyes.

"It's her army," Zelda cried miserably. For a moment Zelda was worried that the Empress would lead her army against the towns and villages to kill Hyrule's people. 'Calm yourself and think,' she commanded herself. If the Empress killed all the villages then she would lose power because she would have no one left to rule. The only people left would be the outlaws and the army and they would oppose her. 'No', Zelda realized, 'the smartest thing for the Empress to do now would be to wipe out the opposition when they were all in one place.'

"I'm sure she will lead them against us," she told Link urgently, releasing her grip on the master sword. "It appears that we are in for a battle."

He nodded and sheathed his sword though his body remained tensed and ready for action. She looked at him curiously his eyes were red-rimmed and watering badly, 'Was he crying?' She wondered with a pang, remembering how he had looked when he had charged her, but no, she realized, she had just flung a bunch of sand in his eyes, and he had not yet gotten it all out. As if to confirm her realization, he wiped a hand under his watering eyes, blinking to get the last bit of sand out.

He noticed that she was watching him intently and grinned at her. "Cheater," he teased, handing her back her blade, before he frowned. "I-I'm sorry I hurt you," he apologized quietly, his deep blue eyes troubled. He halfway reached a tentative hand towards the cut on her lip before letting it drop, embarrassment and shame all too evident on his face.

She nearly gawked at him. What he had gone through had been about a hundred times worse and he was upset about a minor flesh wound.

"It's fine, Link." she told him with a smile, "If you hadn't knocked me away the Empress would have made me kill you," She said as she reached for his hand and turned towards their two armies. She bit her lip in misery when he recoiled slightly at her touch. She slowly retracted her fingers.

"Based on their current positions I'd say that we have about fifteen minutes, tops, to think of a plan of attack," he warned her. "At least we don't have the problem of having to explain ourselves to the two armies," he said with a smirk.

She smiled too, it warmed her heart to no end to see him acting more like he used to towards her. Although, as she noted earlier, it was not so much as to make her think he had forgotten all of his previously harbored malice and confusion, and she did not blame him. She could tell he wanted, but was reluctant to ask the insurmountable but eventually unavoidable question, that being, how much was she actually involved in what happened? Zelda wished she could take the time to explain herself to him, but she knew that it would have to wait. She watched as he took in their numbers and the numbers and formation of the enemy army marching towards them. She, noting what he was up to, filled him in all that she knew as fast as she could.

After their hurried consultation Link thought for a moment and then at a nod from Zelda turned his attention to the soldiers, who stared back at their leaders with wide frightened, angry, urgent, or determined eyes. They talked and whispered among themselves in a hurried rush. Link cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"We about fifteen minutes before we will all be under attack," Link started, the tone of his voice instantly commanding silence in both the outlaws and the soldiers. "I know that more than half of you have no reason to want to listen to me, for my name and honor have been tarnished, but I would ask that you hear me out just the same."

His voice had the tambour and lure of a born leader. It was hard to believe that he was youth who had once been nothing more than a peaceful farmer, but perhaps it was also that which added to his appeal. She found it nearly blazingly obvious he had found so many followers.

"I know that most of us share no trust or friendly feelings for the other, but I know that you, like me, have found out that most of our hatred and dissention has been based upon lies. I will not, however, ask you all to join together in the bonds of forgiveness and fellowship because I know that hurts, such as the ones that have been sown in all our lives, are not so easily mended. I know that the pain of everything that has happened and surrounded each of our lives is not easily forgotten. But I would ask that we join, not out of sense of camaraderie between each other, but rather affection for the ones we hold dear. I need not explain what is at risk for I am sure that you can see well enough," he gestured behind him to the fast approaching enemy.

"If we do not stop them, I know for a fact that all will be lost. I ask that you set aside your hatred and pain for a moment so that we can save the ones we love, I ask this not as a commoner, the Hero of Twilight, or even as an outlaw rebel, but rather as a piece of this land itself; as a part of forest the mountains hills and all the people. I would ask as one who would do anything not to let his people or his kingdom fall, one who would not see what we are, lost forever in the clutches darkness. I cannot tell you the extent of the lies that have been woven in our lives, but I would give anything not to let our country fall."

He paused for a moment, his flushed cheeks the only sign of the discomfort that Zelda knew plagued him when he spoke to any large group of people. "I will not lie to you and say that there is glory and honor in the taking of others' lives, but I will not stand by while Hyrule falls to ruin. It is easy to do nothing, but it is hard to move on and do what's right. I would follow my princess to whatever end in order to set right wrongs of the past and save all of us from a future that would not be worth living, and I hope that, for the sake of those around you and your country, you would do the same. Who and what I am does not matter, the importance lies with all of you and what you will stand for."

As he spoke he stepped away from Zelda's side and turned towards her in a deep bow, no trace of mocking or subterfuge in his baring, only sincerity. It was perhaps that one gesture that became the deciding factor, for nearly seven eighths of both Hyrule armies broke into a roaring cheer of agreement, alleviating the tension of which ruler to follow. Simply by showing he honored her as his leader he helped to re-forge many severed bonds. Zelda could not help but admire how well played that move had been, but at the same time she wondered what he meant by this show of fealty. Did he do it out of necessity only? Or for the sake of the bond they once shared? Or, perhaps, was he willing to actually move on and forgive her? Her heart fluttered at the impossibility. She tried to read his face but it was completely inscrutable. Her heart sank a little. He stood up and tuned to the armies again. "Are you with me?" he demanded. He got only cheers in response. Link nodded and continued "Their army is about the same size as ours and we defiantly have a chance. We will save our loved ones and our homeland."

At his and Zelda's signal the Resistance and Zelda's top commanders came forward for a hurried consultation to make plans. After bandying about several ideas Link finally spoke. "I have a proposal. There are about twice as many Hyrule soldiers as there are outlaws, for us to succeed we need half of the Hyrule soldiers to form ranks up in font. Directly behind them I will need the outlaws to make up the right flank and the rest of the Hyrule soldiers to make up the left flank."

The generals gave a quick glance at Zelda to see if she approved, and she nodded for Link to continue.

"When we march out to meet them," Link continued, "the front ranks will march in the testudo formation -front rank shields in front and the following ranks hold their shield above their heads. Outlaws in the right flank would then prepare their bows to fire on the enemy once we're in range.

"It's a good starting formation but what then?" Chefra, whom Link had invited up with the Resistance, asked. A few of Zelda's generals nodded their approval of Chefra's question, skeptical of Link's tactical knowledge.

"Then," Link answered with a smirk, "as soon as our army and the enemy are about to meet, I need the front rank to change formation into the wedge points formation."

Zelda smiled as she caught on to his plan. The wedge points formation was made when the front ranks positioned themselves to form several small wedges perfect for crushing the enemy lines. Based on how he had positioned the troops, she knew what he was going to say next so she finished outlining the plan for him.

"As soon as the enemy has engaged the front lines the outlaws on the right flank and the soldiers on the left flank need to roll up the line quickly and surround the enemy. Once the right and left flanks are in position you will also form wedge points and you will all converge on the center and crush the enemy from all sides." She smiled. Link was very clever; the enemy's army would not expect to be surrounded because the way the soldiers would be lined up at the start of the battle. It would give no indication of their plan. The wedge point formation was deadly effective.

She heard the generals' gasps and various affirmations of understanding and agreement, their confidence one again bolstered. Link started speaking again once they had finished, smiling almost cheekily at her before he continued. She couldn't help blushing slightly.

"Ashei, Rusl, and Auru, I want you to lead the outlaws on the right flank. Kasran, Kasran's dad, and you," he said, pointing toward the arrogant commander who had almost captured him, "you will lead the soldiers on the left. Chefra you will lead the front rank, I want the rest of the generals seeded throughout the rest of the troops to hold the line."

There were a few protests and murmurs of descent, which Zelda silenced, and a few tactical improvements to the same idea, which Zelda supported.

"And what of you and the princess, Link?" Ashei asked gruffly. Zelda did not miss her mistrustful glare. "What will you two be doing?

"While the battle is going on Princess Zelda and I will try our best to take out their leader, with their high commander occupied it with sew further confusion in among her own men, and give us a better chance for success."

Zelda disbanded the war council and watched as the generals began to order the troops to for ranks. As she looked behind her, she could see the Empress's troops gaining ground by the second. Everything was happening so fast she hardly had time to breathe. Her sword hand griped the hilt of her rapier so hard that her knuckles began turning white. The sight of the Empress's army filled her very soul with fear, not for herself specifically but rather for her people. What if she failed again? What if she was the week strand in a chainmail corselet that broke under the impact of the sword, leading to the death of the ones she sought to protect? For that was what she knew herself to be, she was a failure who had let her kingdom fall twice.

All of this, every ounce of suffering had been because she had failed her people, what was she? She wondered miserably, as the enemy drove forward like a dark storm cloud that shadows everything in its wake. The long grass of the field rippled as gently as a whisper traveling through the night. She never heard Link's soft footfalls as he moved towards her and she started with surprise when she realized he was standing at her side.

'This was all my fault,' she screamed inside her head, not able to say the words aloud to him. She could feel every ounce of her royal dignity poise and baring fading away as she thought it. 'I was not strong enough to stop it.' What did Link really think of her? What did her people think of her now they knew she had been defeated and subjugated again? What did she think of herself?

Link tuned towards her slowly, his eyes meeting hers. No color of the sky matched their hues they were brighter and darker than any shade of the firmament above her. They weren't cold or hate-filled but they seemed guarded, ashamed, and sad. Yet somehow, there seemed to be fathomless stores of courage welled deep inside them. She knew that he could be feeling no more pure than she. Both of them had fallen. Necessity had forced him into an outlaw and yet he would still fight, even for the people who had wronged him, even for her. Somehow it was that knowledge which comforted her the most.

She shook herself out of her doubts. To win, she needed the confidence she lacked. She and her people were going to have to fight; she was going to have to go to war. But now, the knowledge was not so chilling and hopeless, her own people would not be killing themselves for the power quest of a twisted monarch. This time, if anyone was hurt or killed it would be because they were defending against that very evil. Zelda stood proudly on the hill the wind gently sweeping her brown locks. She was about to try to right some of the wrongs of her previous failure. She was no longer a prisoner; no longer a slave, and she would fight for her life her people's life, and her kingdom with every part of her being. She would get her kingdom back and she would defend it with every ounce of blood in her veins. She was a princess and it was high time she started acting like one.

"You should say something to them," Link said softly as he eyed their troops, "out of all voices yours is probably the one they most want to hear."

There was no time for arguments, and she knew Link was right. Nodding, she spoke, and everyone listened, even the outlaws showed respect at her words.

"Once again we find out very lives threatened by the forces that rule the darkness of this world. This enemy wants to take this kingdom, our freedom, and our very lives. She has already almost succeeded and has been manipulating our very lives. We fight for freedom to end tyranny! We fight for our kingdom! We fight for our people, our families! Find you courage men and women of Hyrule! We fight for justice, our enemy would tear apart everything we hold dear! Be brave for those you love! For freedom!" she cried and the army echoed her call followed by their battle cries.

Link and Zelda turned to face the oncoming enemy. The fifteen minutes were up. The tramping boots of the Empress's solders drew towards them with the inescapable cadence and persistence of a rising tide.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Feedback is always welcomed. My inspiration for this chapter is Roman battle tactics, which were pretty amazing as seen by the fact that they nearly conquered the world, and that several of their ideas were used through the World Wars and even a bit in today's era. I think this is the first full chapter in Zelda's point of view. Huge battle next week and Link and Zelda are finally on the same side, yay! Conflicts and questions will soon be resolved and answered next chapter. There is still a tiny smidgeon of tension still left between the two, but I thought it would be stupid not to make it there because, after all, they have not yet gotten a chance to talk it over and they definitely need that. I don't think that conflicts like the one the both of them were involved in would just melt away so super easy. I mean it doesn't happen in real life and I am trying to be realistic. Links opinions, feelings, and thoughts on the matter will be revealed next week. Thoughts and suggestions on that topic are welcome BTW. **

**Question: **

**What do you think Link's weakness is? What do you think Zelda's weakness is?**


	24. Mêlée

**A/N:** It's 11:58, so it's still Wednesday *Evil smile*. Today we have finally reached the climax. :D I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed penning it and viewing imagining (and sometimes even acting out *dorky I know but I was bored*) the action. :P My inspiration for this story is slowly flying away which is all good since it is nearly finished anyway. I have already started writing the final chapter which should be out on time next week, I am not sure yet but I might include an epilogue as well. Summer seems to be my time of writing inspiration and my head is absolutely crammed full of story idea's yammering to get out, both for fanfiction and my original writing. I unfortunately have about seven stories I am working on at the same time and I hope to get a hold on them before the accursed school year starts again, and my writing focus will be forced in to the tedious restraints of essays, dissertations and reports, which I find dreadfully dreary. I believe writing should come from inspiration not desperation. Anyhow, enough of my ramblings, I would like to thank you all so much for your support and reviews they mean a lot to me. Another note I found all your answers super interesting and I actually agreed with all of them, as I like to believe that everything, no matter what it is, usually always has more than one weakness. Thanks again for the support! You guys are all amazingly awesome!

**Storm Dragon Wolf Princess-** Awww thanks! Actually I was planning on doing just what you suggested lol. Yeah this chapter will pretty much be battle only with hardly any time for apologies and deep conversations XD. Thank you so much for the review!

**Scarlet Curls-** I'm sure your guesses were epic based on your amazing theories and the like. As for being familiar with Roman battle tactics, I suppose I was (and still am) a really odd child, now that I think about it. I was obsessed with history and science shows, (also fantasy epic battles and Sci-Fi) I found books on battle tactics pretty interesting. And my mother never quite approved of me fashioning armor and weapons for my dolls instead of making dresses and such, reenacting battle scenes or crazy adventure stories with them instead of playing something boring and stupid like house or pretending dolls were my children UUUGGGG. (not that I love war and killing it's just they do make heart touching interesting and relatable tales) I don't think she approves of my medieval weaponry collection either *sniff* XP I completely agree with you about Link and Zelda! And Btw your story is awesome.

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony-** Noooo don't die I shall update right away, just for you! Gee that's a lot of love I'm glad you liked it, I never really thought it was that good. You on the other hand, never any doubts whatsoever. You are awesome! Thanks so much.

**AnimeMaster24**- I now it was pretty short (you should have seen my first version) but I hope it didn't feel too rushed. It was more or less a build-up chapter so it wasn't very deep. I don't know how I could really add more to it without spoiling certain things I did not want to be spoiled, and they are getting attacked with hardly any warning. Thanks for the review and the constructive criticism I'll see what I can do.

**MiniJen-** I got excited writing that, I had been waiting to write that moment ever since I started the tale. I hope this week's chapter meets you expectations! Thanks!

**Gust-** Yeah poor Brom, I always wanted to see more of him in like a flash back of him fighting the empire or maybe a short story like in the _Ranger's Apprentice_ book _The Lost Tales_, I found his character to be one of the most intriguing. Donny boy is cute, but a pain, I love his helmet XP Poor Zelda ;_;

**I'll think of a name. Later-** It's clever and catchy and would work for an account name if you wanted XD Your right! The tactics are pretty similar, I was not especially thinking of that one when I wrote but you are right, it is close. I would call it a weakness; naïve-ity is a killer.

**Yami no Nokutan-** *gives shame faced puppy eyes* I know it was kind of late but I was having some issues with both procrastination and my computer, sorry about that, but at least it was Wednesday. I was super pleased when I wrote her getting hurt by Link, she does kinda deserve it. This one is spilt POV wise, but rest assured I will devote time to Links brilliance, maybe not this chapter but it will happen. WOW I feel so Loved right now, you are so nice and awesome! Thank you :D

**ArianandXaia-** Yay! I surprised you. Thanks for the lovely complement and as for them making up you shall just have to wait and see. Hmmm my favorite shows? Like throughout my entire life? (in no particular order then) probably, Doctor Who, Star Trek, the fisrt couple seasons of Xena and Hercules, Avatar the Last Airbender, Redwall, Legend of Korra, Ninjago, Star Wars The Cone Wars, Merlin, Sherlock, most anything on Masterpiece Theater and Mystery, Science and History shows such a Nova, Nature, Secrets of the Dead so on. I suppose I have even gotten in to NCIS(both), the first couple seasons of Psych, I am mostly a fan of deep well written characters and plot lines that show a semblance of a level of intelligence or something one can learn from. What are yours? So If Zelda were to be made into a movie, I suppose I would want twilight princess the most, but it would be cool if they did a series throughout the timeline of them all specifically pre SS, SS OoT and TP. Honestly I would prefer it if it were not done by actual actors I would like it animated like Avatar the Last Airbender or like the cutscenes from Tp or Fire Emblem as I do not think there is any actor out there who could possibly come close to portraying any of the Links. What about you?

Also, special thanks to: **Gojira Geek, DestineyPrincess, xXx skytale xXx, Aria of Hyrule, link**, **PERSON,** and **Guest!** Thank you all soooo much! I love you all (metaphorically speaking)

* * *

**Mêlée**

"I suppose there is no point in me asking for you to save yourself and keep out of danger?" Link asked with a wry smile, as he eyed the press of enemy soldiers, not more than forty paces away.

"No point whatsoever," Zelda said with clenched teeth. "This matter is far too personal." She hoped her voice held no trace of the utter terror she felt inside her.

"And if I tried to stop you?" a mischievous twinkle sparkled in his eyes as he spoke.

"You are in no position to try," she said coolly. She saw Link bristle at her words and knew that that had been the wrong thing to say, but in her opinion he was being unreasonable.

She felt she owed it to her people to fight for them after everything that had happened. Also she knew that both pieces of the Triforce might be needed to bring about the end of the dark mage they faced. Besides, they had fought side by side against Ganondorf and this was no different. Even still, she thought as she took in his expression, she could have been more tactful. She needed him, she wanted him, to be on her side and that careless remark could have cost her all the ground she had been trying to gain with him. She bit her tongue and stared dully ahead of herself.

That had not been a wise move either for the sight of the apparently unmovable wall of attackers doubled the dread she felt. She had fought before in her lifetime but never had she been involved in a full scale battle. Every time she blinked the foe seemed to be closer. Every breath she took brought on the knowledge the next could very well be her last; and before she had a chance to either breathe or blink again the two armies clashed. It was not in a perfect single sound but countless scrapes clangs and screams that threw the mind into complete confusion. Zelda found herself caught in the midst of fighting for her very life.

Zelda and Link were helping to lead the charge when Zelda spotted the Empress hanging back at the rear of her army on the crest of a hill, completely safe from harm. She loudly called Link's name to catch his attention as they fought side by side in the crazed muddle of the battle. When she caught his eye she pointed toward the Empress. Link nodded at Chefra to take over the charge and then broke formation as the right and left flanks of the army prepared to make their move as planned. The Empress saw them coming and readied herself.

As they ran, Zelda heard Link comment darkly through gritted teeth, "She is hiding behind an army and yet she had the nerve to call me a coward."

Zelda looked at his face and saw the same resolve in his eyes that she felt. They skidded to a stop directly in front of their foe, swords at the ready. There was a short tense moment of silence before the confrontation began.

"So the enslaved princess and the traitor have come to meet their doom have they? Have no fear; I will not end your lives quickly. Both of you will pay for your defiance." The Empress laughed and shimmered away, blending with the background around her.

"Zelda!" Link called and she, knowing what he wanted placed herself at his back. She felt his baring change behind her and, without looking at him; she could tell he was putting himself in the same mind-frame as he had when she had blinded him. They were fighting a foe who could perfectly mirror her surroundings with her own body. They were essentially going to have to fight blind, and Zelda knew she would be the one with the greatest disadvantage with this tactic.

Zelda winced as the sound of sword meeting sword rang out behind her The Empress had tried to make a move against Link only to be blocked. Zelda felt cold sweat bead her brow. She had no idea where her foe would attack from next and the sensation of fear was nearly paralyzing. She suddenly heard Link should a warning, "On you left!"

As he said it she realized something. Although she had no animal senses like Link she was a magic wielder and could therefore nearly feel any use of magic around her, and because that's what the Empress was doing, if she cleared her mind she could judge her opponents attacks nearly as well as Link. The two stayed back to back for what seemed like eons blocking and parrying any of the Empress's attacks.

The Empress was no fool and soon grew tired of being deflected, she changed tactics. With a frown she became completely visible for a moment and then began to shape shift. Her body morphed into a copy of Link; except for this version of him had eyes the color of fire, clothes and hair as black as night, and skin as pale as the moon. She drew her sword, a slender snake sword with jagged edges.

"Come at me!" she challenged, her voice sounding just like Link's

~**x~X~x~**

Ashei had ended up leading the right flank charge with Rusl and Auru right behind her. They had taken the enemy completely off guard and they had almost completely out-flanked them before their foes turned to try to halt their progress. The fact that the enemy commander was currently occupied only helped to aid the army of Hyrule. Ashei skillfully swung her sword, fighting through to get in position. She knew this maneuver and the Hyrule army's success depended upon her surrounding the enemy and she would make it so no one could say that they had lost because of her. With all the outlaws behind her she Rusl and Auru were gradually fighting their way around their adversary. She smiled as she saw the left flank just ahead. Once they met they would have a fighting chance. The leader of the left flank was a boy about seventeen, a man that looked like and older version of the boy and an arrogant looking man.

There were only a few enemy soldiers left between them. The boy stepped out with his right foot forward and spun his sword around himself disarming the enemy's in front of them so they could meet.

"Sorry I'm late," he said to her with a smile.

"Moonlighting so you could take lessons from your enemies, yeah?" she said back with a smile of her own. "That sword maneuver is one of Link's tricks."

"Former enemy now I think," Kasran replied with a grin, "Actually he saved my life, right after I tried to capture him."

"I'm going to have to give him a sever talking to about rescuing ones enemies, it's not exactly smart," Ashei said as she, Kasran, the right flank, and the left flank started to form the points.

Kasran shrugged at her comment and both of them, completely serious once again, fought to defeat their enemies. They all began to converge on the Empress's troops, all the crushing points of their numerous wedges slowly moving inwards like to fit together like a wolfos's fangs, or the jaws of a steel trap.

Ashei was glad that Shad was nearer to the back of the army where he was safest from harm for the fight tuned ugly as the enemy, once they realized they were trapped began to fight like cornered karagorks. Ashei barley sidestepped a spear thrust and it still badly grazed he leg as she leaped back.

Needless to say she was grateful to the armor she wore that saved her from getting stabbed more then one time that day. She watched in horror as about forty of the remaining soldiers, about a third of the original attacking force, banded together and charged at a weak point in their crushing circle. She saw the strength of the soldiers buckling under the furious onslaught. She held her breath. Then it gave way with one mighty shove of the foe, like the final surge of water that breaks the dam. The Empress's soldiers fought to freedom and, faster than what seemed humanly possible, re-formed their battle line with their backs to Faron Woods.

Ashei could feel panic rushing through the Hyrule army as an almost tangible presence. She stared on with wild eyes until Rusl approached her, his face portraying frenzied near maddened triumph.

"Spread the word that if we-"he stopped mid-sentence and skillfully swung his sword into one of the Empress's monsters that had been foolish enough to attack him, before continuing. "Spread the word that if we all rally together and keep our line strong we can force them back into Faron Woods. Our troops outnumber theirs now slightly, so we have a chance. Ashei's eyes lit up with understanding.

"You mean to force them into all of Link's booby-traps, yeah?"

Rusl gave her a humorless grin, "That's right."

"You know you're pretty wily for an old man."

"Call me old again and you'll never have the pleasure of attaining the description for yourself, because you'll die on the spot."

Ashei could not tell if he was joking or serious, his expression was so grim.

"I'll spread the word," she said as she hurried off to find the generals, ignoring the blood that dripped down her leg.

**~x~X~x~**

As the battle between the false queen, the hero, and the princess escalated, it became apparent that the Empress did not just carry her blade for show; she was well versed in the arts of swordsmanship. She not only used her sword but she also used magic attacks in between parries and lunges. For a long while neither party could gain any ground against the other. However during this fight, the duo spotted a weakness in the Empress' defense. Link got in a good hit before he was knocked backwards by a magic attack. The Empress screamed with pain and then made a wild lunge at Zelda. Zelda parried the uncontrolled slash and was able to get a hit in of her own. The Empress staggered back, no longer able to keep up the magic that had morphed her and she changed back into her normal form; at the same time Link got to his feet.

The Empress stood panting, sweat beading her pale brow, her once perfect silvery hair streaming behind her with the all disarray and beauty of a running horse's tale.

"Two against one is hardly what I would consider fair," she purred, straightening, all traces of fatigue melting away. "I think that I shall make this foolish contest a little more fair- well, for me anyway."

Without another word she opened her mouth and shrieked another weird call and fifteen soldiers appeared next to her, her personal guards. Her soldiers that had no more soul then a bulblin and the power to meld with the surroundings if they so desired. The heartless soulless creatures who had been twisted by their masters foul magic drew their weapons.

They charged towards Link and Zelda cutting them off from each other. Zelda was surrounded by five of these, and ten of them closed in on Link. As Zelda fought the five soldiers, she noticed that the Empress was chanting in a strange language. As she chanted the air around her became ominously still and it seemed as if darkness were growing around her, swirling around her lithe figure, weaving through the strands of her pale shimmering hair, and gathering about her dark leather tabard and dark slate colored armor like a shadow of an oncoming storm cloud.

The Empress's soldiers had numbers but hardly any skill, Zelda struck down the last enchanted warrior and turned to see Link facing the last five of the ten warriors who had surrounded him. She smiled as she saw him do a powerful half spin to parry the blades of the enemy as they all lunged at the same time.

Her smile vanished when she glanced over at the Empress. Her Magic signature was growing enormously. Zelda began to dash towards her to stop her from finishing whatever incantation she preparing before the full extent of her dark purpose was realized. The root of Empress's magic, like her own, was nothing more than a glorified show of manipulating the elements that made up their world. Aside from skrying, mind control, shape-shifting, transport or the ability to possess, which were slightly different, that was all it was. Even the chameleon like camouflage was achieved by bending the air and light around a person to elude the grasp of unwanted eyes. As she had been doing before, she could feel the energy that was being given off by the process of using the magic. That knowledge did nothing to alter the fact that it was deadly. Wielding magic took energy and for the Empress to do something as massive as she was doing meant she was nearly sure of the success of her spell. It was this utter confidence that made Zelda scramble to stop whatever her enemy was about to try before it reached fruition.

As she began to run there came a sound like the boom of thunder. It appeared as if fire was coming down in spirals from the sky to circle around the Empress. Zelda knew she was too late. The false queen swirled these flames, with a controlled seemingly effortless sweeping motion of her arms, into a red hot ball of fiery lava that she held in her hands. Zelda's eyes grew wide with horror as her enemy pointed the flaming ball in Link's direction and stood poised for a strike. Link had taken out two of the five warriors that hindered him, but was still locked in combat with the other three. He neatly twisted out of the three soldier's reaches while striking them down. At that moment, he was turned away from Empress. The Empress saw her opening and fired a stream of twisted flame at his unprotected back.

Zelda screamed a warning and, throwing safety for herself completely aside, she leaped to intercept the fire. She felt the symbol on her hand thrum with power and she desperately tried to create a force field to shield herself. She screamed as the tornado of flames hit her half formed barrier.

Link turned at the sound of Zelda's scream and everything seemed to run in slow motion for him. He saw her leap in from of him in an effort to save his life. Her name was frozen in a scream upon his lips as the twisting spiral of flames hit her. He was knocked flat as the flames exploded when they hit Zelda and her magic shield and sent a massive shockwave across the battlefield that caused everything to be covered in smoke.

**~x~X~x~**

Shad ran as fast as he could through the dense trees of Faron Woods. The Hyrule army had successfully forced the enemy troops deep inside, but the close-growing trees had spit their line and force them to fight, every man for himself, nearly guerilla style warfare. Shad had found himself striped of the protective shield of soldiers and outlaws, which had made him an easy target.

He had no less than six enemy soldiers after him. He couldn't help but wonder why. 'Did he relay look like such an easy target?' He wondered as he narrowly missed tripping over a root and got scratched badly by a protruding tree branch. His body was shaking so badly from the terror he was worried his legs would give out on him before he reached the destination he had in mind. He gave a glance behind him, and instantly wished he hadn't. He felt his breath hitch and his body feel as if her were about to pass out in a dead faint.

Turning he ran faster than he ever suspected he could, the cold sweat of fear mixing with the perspiration of his exertion. His desperate destination was in sight. Gathering what little remained of his courage, he let his pursuers get as close as he dared and ran straight ahead. He counted the distance with his eyes and when he judged the moment right he leaped further and with more power than he had ever done in his life. Behind him he heard terrified gasped and cries of pain and anguish as the ground gave way beneath his six enemies who had not leaped over the cleverly disguised pitfall as he had done. Shad himself, barely cleared the distance and teetered on the lip of the trap until two pairs of hands steadied him, Ashei and the young soldier Kasran.

"Nice one!" the young soldier said.

Shad could only stare numbly at him as his terror slowly subsided to the sound of terrified furious or agonized cries as the rest of the Empress's forces were caught in snares, pitfalls, tripwires, nets, and various other booby-traps or were finished off by the soldiers and outlaws. Telma wilding a staff and Aru holding a device he had fashion himself for throwing bombs ran up alongside them to help Ashei and Kasran keep the enemy soldiers in the trap. Shad winced as he took in the sounds and sights of the carnage around him, feeling the desire to faint again.

~x~X~x~

Link picked himself up off the hazy ground and coughed as he inhaled the smoke around him. Once he was on his feet, he tried frantically to find Zelda. He caught sight of her lying on the burned and blackened prairie grass not too far away from where he stood. He ran towards her through the thick smoke as fast as he could. He halted his mad dash, skidding to a stop as the Empress appeared in front of Zelda's listless form sword drawn. She laughed wickedly as she advanced on him.

"Oh, am I blocking your path?" She sneered sarcastically. "Just think, every second it takes for you to get by me only dwindles you chances of reaching her in time to save her. What a pity. It would be just awful if you couldn't make it. But unfortunately boy, I am far from finished with you. You will soon be in the same position that you were in when we first met, and I will enjoy every second of your suffering. You see, you ruined my stealthy take over and that is a dangerous place for you to be in. Maybe you were to week and pathetic to take revenge but I assure you I am not."

'Revenge; was that what I want?' The word sounded cold to his ears, what he really wanted was justice; he wanted to make sure that this woman would not be able to hurt anyone else ever again. She needed to be stopped. He needed to get to Zelda he had no idea how badly she was wounded.

"I am not going to play your games this time," he replied as he eyed her levelly. "You have threatened my kingdom, hurt my friends, my family, my people, and myself, and now you are in my way. You decide whose position is more dangerous. I would give you some time to mull it over but I think you already know. Your rule is at an end."

"Bold words coming from one who is about to die a slow and painful death," she growled. "I could have killed you before and I can easily do it now."

With a maddened screech she charged towards him sword point up and their blades clashed. She started to chant as they fought and her sword became sheathed in flame. The two enemies circled each other in a dangerous dance of death through the smoky air. Link fought with the same fervor he had used when he had faced Ganondorf when he thought he had killed Midna. Link pulled a blind, feigning a weak spot to give her an opening. She took the bait and made a lunge at him with all her strength. He was prepared and blocked opining at the last second, sidestepping to whirl around her. She was not expecting this fast reaction and her sword was knocked from her grasp. It tumbled to the ground where the flames upon it slowly faded and died. Link's fast side-step not only disarmed his opponent but also placed him in between her and Zelda. All the past tension between them melted away in his mind. At the moment he could care less what she had done, what mattered now was that she had practically given her life to save his, she was his princess, they had once been life friends, and he would protect her at all cost.

The Empress snarled in rage and electricity crackled between her fingers as she raised her arms and hands like claws. She began increasing the voltage until she had a massive sparking ball which she launched at him. He parried the magic with his blade as if her magic attacks were sword thrusts. He widened his stance and, with deft movements and half twisting motions of his body, deflected everything she threw at him. Both were held at bay by the other until the Empress launched two of her magic attacks, one right after the other. Link deflected the first but the second was aimed low at his feet. He just managed to roll out of the way as it exploded in front of him and burning blackening the grass he had just been standing on.

He swore to himself when he realized what she had done. In forcing him to leap to aside she had cleared a path to Zelda. Link leaped to his feet as soon as his roll ended and dashed forward, but was milliseconds too slow. The Empress had reached Zelda's side and hoisted the unconscious princess to her feet by her hair with one hand and brandished her electricity incased fist against Zelda's throat with the other. Link halted in his tracks.

"Now we can play my way, boy. This is so much more to my tastes. Link, that is your name isn't it? You have the look of a wolf about you let's see if I can turn you into the dog that you are. Manipulating people is so much more fun than fighting them." Her eyes glittered with a maddened frenzy. "I am about to lose everything I dreamed of everything I needed to get everything back because of you," her voice rose to a feverish pitch, "I will not be brought down again, never again and never by you!" she shook for a moment before regaining her composure. "Never the less, I shall have revenge and your death and the defeat of you army and the re-enslavement of the princess should satisfy. Now boy, drop your sword or the princess will suffer long and slowly before I kill her."

Link looked at the sparking ball of electricity aimed at Zelda and felt a shudder run through him. His own scar throbbed painfully as if in sympathy. Slowly he dropped his sword and shield.

"Now on your knees," she commanded.

Link lowered himself to the ground.

"I won't lie to you boy, this will be a lot more painful than last time." She stalked towards him with Zelda dragging behind.

Link felt his body go nearly numb with dread as she approached but he made no move to get away. He set his resolve to give her no pleasure in her cruelty, and kept it with difficulty as he took two crushingly hard kicks from her metal plated boots without the slightest sound. His reasons were for more than pride and he waited to see if she would take the bait.

The Empress frowned at him. "Playing brave with me boy? A stupid sentiment for I do know how to make you scream, remember?"

She backed away from him and stood about fifteen paces away. She moved her sparking fingers away from Zelda's throat and aimed them at him. "I _will_ take pleasure in your downfall. One thing though before you die, I think there is something you would like to know. You see this is just so disgustingly beautiful. You are about to give your life for the Princess and all this time it was she who allowed you to get so hurt. It was she who chose to let you take your little fall from honor. You are going to die for a woman who will never see you as anything more than second in her life."

"You lie," he said through clenched teeth.

"Why would I, it's completely true. When I first captured her, I gave her the choice of letting me have my way with you or killing a lousy bunch of peasants, and she chose gutter sweepings over you."

Link tried to keep a blank expression, but some of the pain he felt at her words must have bled through his mask for his tormentor laughed.

"She willingly thrust you aside and cut out your heart for the sake of a few worthless defenseless people. How does that make you feel hero?"

Link lifted his head and smiled at her as he slowly eased his left hand towards his belt. He had no intention letting Zelda die but he had no intention of dying by the Empress's hands or repeating the pain of four months ago either. Her speech about manipulating people had given him the slightest spark of hope and a dangerous idea.

"Proud," He said as his left hand snapped forward his fingers closed around the handle of one of his claw-shots.

As he said the word he shot the chain and claw at her. Before she could even think to dodge the metal had clamped around her ankle a pulled her towards him. She was so shocked that her grip on Zelda's hair loosened enough for the unconscious princess to slip from her grasp.

"It means that it was not all for nothing," he growled as he launched himself towards her, even as she was dragged by her leg toward him. She screamed and threw up an arm in a vain block his fists as he fell on her. The two rolled on the ground as they battled. The Empress's defense was no match for Links furious attack. In desperation she flung out a bust of magic to throw him off. He landed cat-like right next to his shield and a pace away from his sword. She leaped to her feet and used all remaining power to create and fire a frantic jet of lightning at Link. He saw it coming and made a dive at his shield. Link instinctively lifted his shield and braced himself just as the bolt of lightning hit and exploded upon its surface then bounced off in a continuous deadly stream. Links boots made deep skid marks and he was pushed back several feet by the extreme force behind the blow. The resounding boom of thunder from the blast was almost defining and the flashes was nearly blinding.

Link felt his arm buckle painfully. He saw that the lightning was ricocheting and he tried to utilize the knowledge he had learned on his travels, being the angle of incidence equals the angle of reflection. With his last ounce of strength he tilted his shield ever so slightly to the left with a cry of pain as some of the sparks traveled into him and the super-heated metal of his shield began to burn. Not long after that effort his whole body succumbed to the crushing force and he tumbled to the ground amidst the pieces of his broken shield and the resounding sound of a scream and an explosion as the lightning burst into sparks around him.

Link felt numbed as he lay there, in body as well as mind. He couldn't think, he couldn't move. He felt blackness begin to engulf him and though he tried to fight it, he started to lose consciousness to the sound of a woman screaming and weeping in rage and pain.

"It can't end like this I can't lose. I promised myself it would never happen again… Never! I promised!" She let out a shriek then quieted and then the stillness was shattered by a weak laugh. "You fool, Link, this will not end here with me. Everyone shall pay… everyone shall… pay…"

Her voice dwindled away, as nothingness engulfed Link. He coughed weekly as he inhaled the sweltering ash by his face. The act of coughing shattered the shrouding blackness in his mind enough for him to try to fight for consciousness.

**~x~X~x~**

The Hyrule army had defeated the soldiers of the Empress. Those who were not dead were disarmed and captured. Zelda's generals assigned a large troop to watch them and the rest of the army, the Resistance included, headed back towards Faron Field to see if Link and Zelda had taken out the enemy commander, and see if they could lend a hand.

When they reached the grassland they were horrified to see it complete covered in a fog-like smoke. Through the thick haze there came flashes of light and roars of thunder as if a thundercloud had fallen out of the sky and enveloped the field. The roars and flashes were almost defining and then with one final burst of light there was nothing.

Ashei stated to limp forward but was halted by Auru who shook his head at her. The entire army stood around the edges of the smoke cloud waiting to see who would emerge victorious from the noxious haze, hoping that the Empress would not be the one to step out in triumph. They all held their breath as they saw the outline of a figure coming out from the grayish cloud. Their cheers of joy when they saw that it was Link turned into cries of dismay when they saw that he was carrying Zelda's unconscious form. He set her down once he was clear of the smoke and fire. The army stared on unmoving, looks of disbelief or sorrow frozen on their features.

Link knelt beside Zelda's still form tears forming in his eyes. He held her in his arms and pulled her close to his chest as he ran a trembling hand gently down the side of her face to move the hair out of her eyes. This was all his fault. If only he hadn't been too stupid to see the truth. He had been tricked into hating his best friend when she had needed his help. Her clothes were torn in some places and slightly singed in others. She had suffered several scrapes and bruises and a few minor burns. He had no way of knowing if she had suffered internal damage or serious head trauma. He cradled her limp form in his arms willing her to be alright. As he felt her week pulse he realized, with a nearly overcoming felling of grief and guilt, that it might be too late to make things right. If she died he would never forgive himself.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her quietly a lump of grief rising in his throat. "Please be alright …I…I didn't know…."

His sorrow quickly melted away into joy and he forgot about finishing his sentence when he felt Zelda's hand tighten around her own as she stirred and opened her eyes.

"Link," she whispered, "did... the Empress is… she-"

"She's dead, killed by her own magic, and our army carried the day."

"Something tells me you had something do with that," she said with a weak smile.

"Perhaps, but it was only because of you. You saved my life; I can never thank you enough."

Zelda averted her eyes as they filled with a mixture of grief guilt and pain. 'Saved?' she wondered, she had nearly done the opposite.

"Link…" she trailed. "Please, help me up," she finally whispered as she looked up into his handsome face that was only lightly marred by the evidence of the battle.

"Are you sure you are strong enough?" he asked concerned.

"Yes, my magic shield saved me from any serious injury," she assured him, "and my people need to know I am alive. I won't order you, because I have no right anymore," she whispered when he made no move, "I would insist though." She bit her lip. How could she ever explain herself to him? Would he ever really understand? Could he ever really forgive her?

"You…you never lost that right," his whispered back, his eyes sad.

He stood and gently pulled her up with his left hand. His right he held close to his body.

Zelda struggled to sit up amidst cheers from the army who were ecstatic to see that their princess was alright. Former outlaw rebels cheered alongside the loyalists, there animosity forgotten. Link helped her get to her feet albeit rather shakily. Her magic shield had saved her from any serious injury but her body was in a lot of pain and her head was spinning. As soon as she was standing he let go of her hand and knelt down before her in the manner of a knight showing devotion and respect for his leader.

She felt a rush of surprised pleasure run through her. Even after everything he still thought of her as his princess, he was still completely loyal to her. All around her the soldiers and the outlaws did the same each one knelt down following the one who stood before them, as if Link were the first drop of rain in a flood. To Zelda it looked like the long grass of the prairie being blown by the wind or the way the water of Lake Hylia lapped against the shore in a storm, like the ripples on a pond. Slightly startled, Zelda stood alone in the sea of bowing soldiers for a moment before she smiled. She reached her hand down to clasp Link's.

She lightly pulled him to his feet and, blatantly ignoring all the rules of distance and composure that rulers were supposed to have, she wrapped her arms around him in an affectionate embrace. She pulled him closer to her, felling tears stream down her face. She felt him stiffen with surprise for a moment before he leaned into her. She felt his arms slowly encircle her and embrace her back just as fiercely. She ignored the cheering, laughter and the few cat calls from the soldiers as they too rose to their feet. She did not want to let him go. She winced as a rush of pain flooded her body and the dizziness increased. Perhaps, she thought with a groan, she was more wounded then she had thought. Suddenly she could no longer support her weight. The last thing she remembered was falling into Link's arms.

* * *

**Yay! Finished the final battle. I know there are still a few things that need to be addressed, mainly dealing with Link and Zelda such as how did Link figure out the truth and will they ever resolve their issues, political and emotional. Don't worry these questions I shall answer. If any of you have suggestions or questions I'd be glad to take a look or answer as best I can.**

**Question: (this is not about the games this time) Since this story is ending I have some thoughts as to what to do next Legend of Zelda story wise, and would like to hear your thoughts on the matter. So right now I have two ideas my first idea is actually a sequel to this one, but a sequel written so it could be a standing novel in its own right. The main idea, if I were to do it, would be a lot of Zelda getting some revenge for being a bit lame in this story, and also will bring about the reason Averan called Link a fool this chapter. (Veran's classic line) so here would be the summary thing.**

**The Twilight Shard **~Zelda had often wished for the chance to prove she was more than just the damsel in distress, more than a failure who could not even protect her own kingdom. By a cruel twist of fate the opportunity thrusts itself upon her, but it is nothing like how she imagined. With the return of an old and deadly enemy, the stakes have never been higher. Now the fate of two kingdoms and the lives of her friends are in her hands. Meanwhile, Link finds himself caught in the middle of a horrifying situation. He is tasked with slowing down the enemy from his entirely new and unexpected position. The fate of the kingdom rests just as much on his shoulders as it does on Zelda's.~

**So please tell me what you think of this idea. I would be happy to hear some thoughts. Tell me if you're interested :D My other idea is a series of oneshots (maybe a couple that are a few chapters long) that span throughout the timeline of the Zelda universe. I am planning to make them serious, no dorky writing, and as close to canon as I can make them. I would like to include humor, angst, hurt/comfort romance, pretty much depending on the situation. So here are the first three short titles and their summary's so you can see what you think. (These are not the final most polished summaries I have just written them down spur of the moment)**

**The Brains of the Operation** (hurt/comfort)

(SS Manga) Link has been wrongfully imprisoned for a crime he has not committed while his entire world crumbles and falls around him and the land he loves is sentenced to its doom. Has he truly been forgotten by the ones he once called friends? And what will he do when the very ones who abandoned him beg for his aid. (Takes place before and during the first part of the Manga with a bit more)

**The Hero who Couldn't Swim** (humor)

(ST) Link has studiously avoided deep water for certain personal reasons but he must try to thrust his fear aside in order to keep a promise to a friend. And what might happen if she takes it into her held to help him through his fear?

**Bandit Attack** (fantasy/adventure/comfort)

(very pre Tp) Bandits attack the small outlying village of Ordon and lay siege to the small town, but what can a mere orphaned child do about any of it, and how far would he go if he is looking for acceptance.

**So, what do you think? I'd be interested in hearing from you! **


	25. What Happened to His Hat

**A/N:** Here is the last chapter! I actually am super sad that this is ending, but not totally because I got enough desires for a sequel to start writing one. I don't know whether I shall start it next week or in a couple of weeks. As for those who expressed desires for the one-shots I will either write those and post them at the same time or maybe after I finish the sequel. Before I go any further however, I would like to give all of you my heartfelt thanks for your support and for taking the time to read my meager attempts at literature. It means a lot to an aspiring writer. So even though I have probably said it about a million times THANK YOU ALL! Today I shall answer the big question that has probably been troubling most of you through out this entire tale, that being -What in Hyrule happened to Link's characteristic hat? So today I shall answer that enormous question and a few more minor ones such as how did Link discover the Empress, what happens to all the outlaws, and what will happen to Zelda and Link and how do they both feel about each other. XP XD XP I hope you find the last chapter satisfactory and the good part is that now since there will be a sequel it does not exactly have to end yet!

**Gojira Geek–** when I said It could stand alone I meant that a person could pick up the sequel and not have much issues reading it without reading the first book, but don't worry I shall not leave out any important issues that this book brought up and there will be several bridging themes. Thank you :D

**Whisty**- Sweet! I am super glad for you :D I am not sure who my favorite Olivia paring is. When I said Veran I think I meant the LOZ villain, but that being said, If you are interested, I have been rather inspired to write a few FE:A tales myself and am working on four sort of shorts right now, ( a lot of stories I know, but hey it is summer) :P that I think I might title, I not quite sure yet, 'A Day in the Shepherd's Life,' (self-explanatory) 'The Blood of Heroes,' (short about Owain) 'On the Wings of a Butterfly,'(short about Lon'qu) and 'A Broken Promise.'(short about female Robin and Chrom during the final battle) I am thinking about posting them when I get a handle on them, I don't like to start posting something unless I am sure I can finish it, (in a timely fashion) that way I do not get any very disappointed people coming after me XD

**Da Amazing Po-Po-Pony-** Oh dear, I hope you got your hat of awesomeness back. Thank you so much for the compliments! You, my friend, have a most beautiful accent :P I am sooo jealous I do not have a Zelda hat *sniffff* Then I shall just have to write them all (eventually) Wahaahahaa summer break is going to be over soon *even bigger sniffff*

**AnimeMaster24-** Thanks, I did not want to be the sort of author who just invents characters and then forgets they did so XD. That's a great idea and I shall probably take your advice.

**MiniJen-** Awww Thanks *blushes* I am sad too, but at least there shall be more :D

**ArianandXaia-** I think we have quite a bit in common show wise. Thank you! As for the question Idk there are just too many to choose from :D

**I'll think of a name later-** I have always hated it when the tales I follow don't, so I try not to make people suffer in suspense XD I have always thought that Link is pretty clever, I mean he had to be, so I tried to do justice to his character. You may or may not be correct in your theory :D thanks!

**Curiosity Cat-** I shall definitely try! Thank you!

**Generala-** yeah that's sort of what I was going for :) She will not be looking for revenge exactly, more of redemption. Zelda has quite a bit to think about.

7/18 **Guest-** :D I can't exactly tell if you mean that as a genuine question or as a condescending sort of 'do you even know what you're talking about?' sort of rhetorical question. :) If it is the first then yes, simply put I have, and please forgive my slightly negative assumption; if it was the second I can only insinuate that you were annoyed with my previous statement so allow me to clarify, I know that a lot is reveal about Brom in the fourth book when Oromis told his tale, but I wanted more written in Brom's actual point of view, if that make sense :D

**Yami no Nokutan-** Don't worry I had no intention of leaving everything hanging, I think everything you want to know will be explained in this chapter. Thanks for the support Btw you are awesome!

**xXx skytale xXx-** thank you, and your short story should be updating soon, just to let you know, I finaly finished it.

**Scarelt Curls-** Yes the empress was pretty desperate at the end, but she was trying to manipulate Link by lording Zelda's life over his head and then mocking his decision when she thought he was helpless. I think that's a great idea and will definitely look into it.

7/19 **Guest-** I don't know about making it rated M, It's a bit out of my comfort zone, I have never really written like that before and would have nothing really to base it off of. Your idea for the SS manga is super awesome though, it would make for an epic tale! I Love it! Thanks!

**deflow-** thanks! I'm working on it :D

**AssassinKitsune-** So do I, but I'm sure you could already tell that XP

**TheObsessedBookworm-** Thanks for reading, and for the compliments :) I'm glad you liked it, sorry about your eyes though, I hate it when it happens to me XP Sorry about the grammar issues, I am slowly working through the book to fix them. Lately, I definitely have been having issue with the word definitely. :P I thought that since twilight princess takes place in a sort of medieval time I should probably not make them speak as we do now. Tons of ideas but not nearly enough time to write them all before the school year starts, I guess that the sudden lack of busyness leaves me free for daydreaming XD. Thanks Again!

**Narita-** Thanks for the three reviews, you definitely brightened my day with them :)

**Storm Dragon Wolf Princess-** I really like the idea of dark Link and I couldn't help myself XP Thanks for the input! I also think the most fitting way for a villain to meet their demise is by their own mistakes.

**What Happened to His Hat**

Zelda moaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes. Her light teal blue gaze took in her surroundings at a glance. She instantly recognized her army tent, and easily transportable furnishings. By the near absence of light she could tell that it was nearing the end of night, just about the still time before the sun graces the world with its warming rays of light.

She shifted slightly, testing her body for the pain that had enveloped it the day before, or at least she hoped it had been the day before. There was still a dull ache, but nothing as terrible as before. She twitched her nose as it began to itch and tried to lift and hand to scratch it but found she could not. Startled she looked down the length of her cot and saw Link sitting on a stool by her bed, his head resting on the blanketed edge. His right arm, bandaged to the elbow, resting under his chin as he slept. His left hand was intertwined with her own.

Zelda slowly eased her hand out of his sleepy grasp and ran her fingers through his silky dark blond locks. Seeing him there like that made tears prickle in her eyes. She had not been there for him like that; he had been left alone to suffer. The logical part of her mind told her that she had had no other choice and that what she had done had been the right thing, and had saved many of her subjects' lives. That knowledge however did not make it feel right. Would she never be free of the guilt, regret and shame that came with that one decision.

"Link, I am so sorry."

His sapphire eyes snapped open at her words, nearly seeming to glow in the early morning light. They studied her for a moment.

"You're sorry?" he asked, "I am the one who should be sorry I-"

"Sorry for what? None of this was your fault, quite the opposite really. Although I did not intend to, I sacrificed your safety and wellbeing in exchange for the survival of the people of Hyrule, so in a way I sort of did betray you. Please forgive me."

"Well I was not behaving much better, running around you kingdom like a criminal and breaking all the laws."

Zelda sighed, "Those weren't really my laws so you had every right to break them."

He smiled at her, "There is nothing to forgive. I understand why you did what you did. You really did not have a choice. It's not fair for you to only blame yourself for this. You had it worse, I think; having to be the personal slave of that that monster." Then his expression became serious again, "I should have realized what was happening before it grew into such a huge problem. It is as much my burden as it is yours," he said resentfully.

She smiled at him, "I liked your band of outlaw rebels; and it all turned out all right in the end. I suppose the only one to really blame for this mess is the Empress. I am still sorry though," she whispered, "for everything."

"So am I," he whispered back. "On the bright side," he added, "at least you don't have to deeply explain yourself to the solders and the outlaws, they all saw what happened."

She closed her eyes, "Yes, but I will still have to explain myself to my subjects and the council. There are several of them, a few nobles included, who would love to turn this situation around for themselves to get me deposed. After all, during my rule the kingdom has been taken from me nearly twice now. If they bring that up there will be trouble, I have no doubt, and the sad thing is, that they would have a point." She turn her head away slightly her eyes still closed.

"No they wouldn't."

She was surprised as she felt a light touch on her cheek as his hand gently cupped around her chin and tilted her face towards him. She knew that he had never been one to stand on formal ceremony, probably due to his upbringing. It was something that she admired about him, it intrigued her, but still, his familiarity caught her off guard. As a princess she had never been touched in such a manner before, she was used to being admired at a distance or a polite kiss on the back of her hand from a knight or noble man. She couldn't help but gasp as her cheeks flamed.

"L-Link?" she whispered stammering for the first time in her life. Confound him for having such and effect on her.

"Where were they?" He asked his soft eyes turning hard and feral for a moment. "Where were your council members when Zant took your throne, and later Ganondorf? Where were they when the Empress came? Who was defending you then? It was because people like those nobles and our council that forced kids like you, me and Midna to have to fight for our kingdom. Besides that, you have both the army and my outlaws to back you when you re-claim your throne and once the truth come out I am positive most of your subjects will also back you. Those few left to oppose you would find themselves in the loosing position."

"But, Link, that still does not discount the fact that I have-"

"A woman who would do anything for her people and her kingdom is a woman I would follow, not an arrogant fool who flees for their own safety at the first hint of trouble." His voice was soft and his smile made her blush deepen further. He was making her feel as if she were nothing more than a blushing schoolgirl just by smiling at her. Perhaps that blast of magic had hit her upon the head a bit too hard.

She was slightly embarrassed that the barer of wisdom had to have sense talked into her by a warrior; no, she amended with a smile of her own, by a friend. She would never let her kingdom pass into the hands of another, she would not live to see all she had striven for and fought for thrown away in the hands of some corrupt noble. Also, Link was right; if it came to a battle she would have the high ground.

"Thank you, Link," she whispered settling back, "for what you said, and for understanding." She looked down, her hands fisted in her blankets, when she spoke again her voice was barely above a whisper. "If I could have, I would have taken your place, I never wanted for any of this to happen."

For a long while he said nothing. She looked into his eyes to see that same distant sad expression lingering there. Finally he spoke.

"I guess all those court manners you tried to teach me wore off in the woods, because I have not even bothered to ask how you were feeling." He said with a concerned but teasing smile.

"Honestly, the best word to describe it would probably be, stupid," she replied with a sigh.

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you, your Highness," he smirked.

Zelda smiled, and then tried to figure out a way to pose a question to him, one that she was almost afraid to ask.

"What of the battle Link? You said that we won, but I would like to know the price of such a victory."

She listened intently as he spoke and when he was finished she did not know whether to sigh in relief of grieve for those who lost their life, for their number of casualties was very low compared to that of the Empress and blessedly there were not many wounded. Link had assured her that the majority of the army would be able to follow behind her when she was well enough to travel and that tents were set up and some healers would stay behind to tend the injured that were too wounded for travel. Even Uli and Ilia of Ordon had come to lend a hand. Zelda could not help but smile at happy light in his eye as he spoke the names; they were obviously close to him. Litters could be made for the wounded that could travel, and the majority of the army would be prepared to move out whenever she was ready.

"As soon as I get back to the castle, I will make sure to honor the fallen and their families for their sacrifice." she whispered softly. "Then I shall repeal all the laws that that monster forced me to make, and pardon all of the outlaws and try my best to clear their names, starting with you."

He smiled sadly at her, "Fate seems to quite enjoy toying with the two of us," he teased rather mordantly.

She agreed, and noting that the sun was now up, decided to pose another question.

"Is the Resistance and my generals around? Chefra as well? I would like to apologize to them all in person and discus some plans with both you and them about avoiding more calamites like this in the future. I would like to reinstate the Resistance and Chefra." She said as she tried to sit up.

"Ambitious as always," Link teased with a half-smile. "I will see what I can do. Are you sure you're feeling well enough," he asked as an afterthought.

"Quite," she whispered.

**~x~X~x~**

About two days after the battle Zelda rode back to the castle. Her first order of business had been to give an explanation and a formal apology to all her subjects. There was still a modicum of tension between her people, but it was nothing like volatile nature it had been that had nearly forced the kingdom to war.

It was about a week after that, when Zelda had completely recovered from her injuries, she remembered that she had something in her position that belonged to Link. She decided she should give it back; it would also give a perfect excuse to engage him in a conversation. They had hardly had a proper conversation since she had returned to the castle and she desperately wanted to speak with him. She had reasserted her claim on the throne with relative ease, there were a few disgruntled noblemen and council members but as Link had said, his, the former outlaws, and the army's full support of her gave her the political high ground.

She had of course seen Link and spoken with him, but there conversations had been limited to the formal and business based exchanges between a lord and her vassal. Such conversations before this had happened would have satisfied her, but lately she had been wanting more. She wanted to speak alone with him, freely, as friends, not bound by the constraints of proper court proceedings, manners and mincing words. Having made up her mind, she went out in search of him.

After a while, she finally located him standing alone atop the battlements of Castle Town's outer wall. He was watching the sunset, a faraway expression on his face, the breeze gently tousling his golden ash blonde hair. He smiled happily when he saw her approach. She stood next to him and joined in watching the sun sink behind the outlying fields as it lit the sky in a burst of glowing color.

"The land seems twice as beautiful now that a great deal of the evil has departed. Don't you think?" She mused softly.

He nodded as he continued to gaze over the field. There was a short silence between them as if speaking would break the beauty of the radiant calm that surrounded them. Then, Zelda got up the courage to ask the question that had been on her mind lately. She had mixed feelings about bringing it up because she did not want to bring back painful memories, but she was incurably curious.

"Link," she asked softly, "how exactly did you figure it out, the day we fought? How did you know? About the Empress I mean? You do not have to tell me if you don't want to," she added hastily.

"It's alright," he said quietly almost as if he was embarrassed. "I guess I figured it out when I knew I had to make a choice. I was hurt and angry and when I won the battle between us I knew there were two choices. I could get revenge or I could just walk away. I chose to walk away but as I did so I realized that I would be angry and bitter forever unless I made another choice, and that choice was to forgive, or rather move on in mind as well as body. That was especially hard, but remembering what we were before helped. In the end though, I let my hatred go, not for you exactly, but for myself, to keep the darkness that I felt from taking over my heart. You probably think me foolish," he added sheepishly.

"Quite the contrary," she told him solemnly, "actually I think you were wise, it must have taken a lot of strength. I think that being able to do something like that is an admirable quality."

He stood silent for a moment, his expression hard to read, before he continued, "In the moment I let go of my anger and resentment, when my back was turned to you, my ability to sense came back to me fully because my head was finally clear. Even though that ability is not that strong when I am in my normal form it is still faintly there. When you started to speak those vile words, although my first response was anger, something did not feel right. It was then that I knew. I…" he broke off for a moment, a faraway look on his face as if he were searching for the right words before he spoke on. "I could forgive you because I had loved you, but I could not forgive the dark presence that had become your puppet master. That person had not only hurt you, me, and all the people of Hyrule, but also had the nerve to make you say such cruel things. That is when I became furious and turned around to attack. I focused all my anger on you to keep whoever was behind you from suspecting that I knew. I could feel her cold evil presence as I drew nearer. I could almost see her. I only wish I could have seen her for what she was the first time we met. When I came to the throne room for her trap I could sense that something was slightly off, like a premonition of danger but I just attributed it to the fact that I was about to take the fall for treasonous actions I did not commit. Senses like mine are not specific they are just like feelings. Now that I look back though, I think it was almost like she was using her magic to dull my ability a little too, and I did not realize it until recently."

He turned to face her, a pleading look in his deep blue eyes, "I am sorry that I could have ever believed that you would ever…" his voice trailed off.

She smiled at him, "The sad truth," she admitted regretfully, "is that I probably would have felt the same way as you did were I in your position. I am just glad that you discovered the truth; I was beginning to run out of hope." She said quietly.

Without even thinking she edged nearer to him and wrapped her arms around him in a hug, and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Then she blushed as she quickly pulled away, embarrassed to have acted on such an impulse. She felt a little better when she saw that his face was as red as she imagined her own to be.

His mouth was open in a half 'o' of surprise and for a moment he looked as if he were about to speak but instead, he merely smiled at her, his eyes sparkling with laughter, cheeks still flaming with a blush, as he absently traced the spot with his fingers.

She looked down felling dreadfully self-conscious. Perhaps all the life and death situations she had been through were melting her distant dignity shell that surrounded her, she had never acted so rashly informal in her life. She was completely at a loss for words before she realized that she had almost forgotten the reason she had come to see him in the first place. She cleared her throat and looked out over the battlement towards glowing field as she spoke. There was only a few minutes of sunlight left before dusk would fall.

"I have just been informed that there is rouge band of bulbins harassing some of the outlying provinces; they have sent a messenger asking for aid."

Link nodded, "I have heard as well. Are you going to send some soldiers to help?"

"I am," she replied. "Why do you ask? Are you thinking of joining them?"

"Yes, if you think they could use an extra swordsman."

"Well if you are planning on going I have something that I have been meaning to give you." She smiled as she handed him his hat, "I saved it for you."

"Thank you," he grinned, "I thought I lost that."

As she watched his grin faded and he stared hard at the hat he held in his hand. He looked at her quizzically for a moment, opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again.

"What is it?" she asked concerned, "Is something wrong?"

"No nothing is wrong," he replied hurriedly.

"Come on," she cajoled, "you can tell me, I know something is bothering you."

"Forgive me for mentioning this, but, why does it look like you have been using my hat as a handkerchief?"

"What," she gaped at him.

Come to think of it, she had cried into it quite a lot and had kept it with her. She certainly had not blown her nose in it, but as she stared at it she realized, with a rush of embarrassment, that her weeping had definitely left its mark. She looked into his face only to see a mischievous glimmer in his eye; he was teasing her. Zelda blushed again; 'Darn him and his silly joking,' she thought to herself. She had missed his fun-loving attitude greatly during the months of her slavery. Before she would not have engaged him in his silly jibes, but now, she smiled as she decided join in, one could not be serious all the time. Life was too short and perilous to be governed by such restrictions, the times that could make one smile needed to be taken advantage of, and she intended to. Besides, that particular taunt of his bordered on rudeness and she had no desire to let him get away with it.

"Oops," she said laughing, "I forgot to wash it. I'm sorry, it was the only thing I had to remember you by, and the whole situation was just so sad."

"If that's the case," he said pertly, "I would like you to have it."

She looked at the expression on his face and couldn't help busting out into laughter, and he joined her.

"You should be honored," she said in a mock imperious tone, "that hat is proof of how much I care for you, despite the fact you are a cheeky outlaw," she teased, "and besides those are not the nasal remains of some peasant, they are royal."

"In that case I will wear this hat proudly." Then he added in an almost whisper, "After I have washed it several times…with lots of soap," he added as an afterthought.

"I heard that blatant disrespect," she playfully chided as they walked down the battlement steps together still laughing.

"If you really like it you can keep it and carry it as my colors," he said smiling.

"Link," she said chuckling softly, "gentlemen are supposed to wear the ladies colors, not the other way around."

"We can change that tradition."

"I will carry your colors," she said, still smiling, "if you will carry mine."

"It would be an honor."

**The End**

**Thank You all so much for taking the time to read this! I am truly honored to have faithful readers like you guys!**

QUESTION:

What do you guys think Dark Link's weakness is? If you were Link how would you go about defeating him?

I personally think that though Link and Dark Link should be evenly matched, and it is exactly as if he were fighting himself. If a person was truly in tune to who they are and they well know about the dark half of them and their own weakness then they could use that to their advantage, play on their knowledge or goad their enemy into a mistake, the problem is that that is a two way street.

**I hope you all found this story an enjoyable distraction. I wish you all the best of summers. Until next time! God bless!**

**~Kazi**

_**~ATGTJ~**_


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